You can take part if you are: • Between 18 and 24 years old • Comfortable in English or Hindi • Experiencing low mood. By low mood, we mean feeling down or sad for days or weeks at a time, and/or losing interest in things you used to enjoy • Enrolled at one of the partner colleges. This currently includes: • Jamia Milia Islamia University • Daulat Ram College • OP Jindal Global University • Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College • Vivekananda College • Sri Venkateswara College • Ramanujan College • University College of Medical Sciences

• You will be paired with a trained student, called a Saathi, who will support you in learning and practising new coping skills. • You and your Saathi will meet 4-5 times, with meetings lasting around 45 minutes. • Meetings will take place approximately once per week, either online or in-person, based on your preference. • You will receive a booklet with step-by-step guidance and examples to help you apply new coping skills in your daily life.

A Saathi is: • A college student trained to support others • Not a professional counsellor or therapist, but they will be supervised by expert psychologists • Not someone close to you — and if you feel uncomfortable, you can ask for a different Saathi • Someone who will keep what you share private and confidential

Step 1: Suitability check • Read a detailed information sheet t(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LXLbpk8j9Cut5cjbkrjSMbjuYluuwQaC/view)o learn more about joining Saathi Support and the related research study. • Fill out a short online form to help us check if the programme is right for you.If the programme is not right for you, we will provide a help-sheet listing other sources of support available outside the study. Step 2: Give consent • If the programme appears suitable, you will be invited to provide your digital signature on a consent form. • A team member will contact you within 2 days to explain the next steps. Step 3: Fill out study questionnaires • You will receive a link to online questionnaires that ask about your mood, anxiety, current stressors, activities, experiences at college, coping strategies, well-being in different areas of life, and use of other support services. • Completing the questionnaires takes about 30–45 minutes. • You can complete them on your own or with support from our team. • We will then review your responses to confirm that the programme is a good fit for you. Step 4: Start the programme • You will be paired with a Saathi, who will contact you to schedule your first meeting and begin the programme.

• Your information will be kept safe and private  • Only the research team can see your personal information • We may only share your details if there is a serious safety concern