In February, five Northwestern students sat in chairs facing a room full of their peers in Harris Hall. Each of them had a different story that led them to a panel discussing their personal journeys with mental health.
This annual stigma panel is just one of many events hosted by NU Active Minds, a student organization centered on mental health awareness. It’s part of the national Active Minds nonprofit, which promotes mental health education for young adults. NU’s chapter was founded in 2003.
The club bills the panel as its most popular event. Students apply to be part of it, and if chosen, share their own experiences navigating mental health challenges. Weinberg senior and Active Minds Co-President Skyla Kiang said this event can be empowering for people who attend.
“A lot of people who hear about mental health don’t really want to believe it, or they have this stigma around it,” Kiang said. “Our goal is just to have people come to events and learn more about it but also understand that there’s a community on campus where they can feel valued.”
Some of Active Minds’ more regular engagement with the NU community includes biweekly Tuesday meetings where they educate attendees on general wellness and participate in activities such as journaling and coloring.
The club is open to all; even those who aren’t official members can attend as many meetings and events as they choose. The club usually plans two general community events per quarter, typically focused on student wellness.
“A lot of the clubs on campus are very competitive, or they can feel like things people are obligated to do,” said Weinberg sophomore Ella Leppert, who is not a club member, but has attended several events. “This is really nice because it’s open to everyone.”
One of the club’s signature events is Stress Less Week, which takes place during final exams every quarter and is meant to give students a little entertainment between studying. The club distributes toys, fidgets and snacks for people to grab during the most stressful week of the quarter for many.
While Active Minds encourages student wellness, it does not diagnose or treat mental health disorders. For more serious cases, members refer students to campus resources like Counseling and Psychological Services, which the club is planning a collaboration with.
Amy Lee, NU director of media relations, said in a statement to The Daily that student organizations like Active Minds help connect peers to resources and build a supportive campus community.
“The more voices who are talking about mental health on campus, the stronger impact we can have on the (NU) community,” Lee wrote. “They present a unified voice surrounding the importance of prioritizing mental health and asking for help.”
That support extends beyond campus. In Evanston, Moses Oluga, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at Clearview Psychiatric Services, assists people with anxiety, depression, ADHD, stress, academic issues and relationship challenges.
Oluga commended the work NU Active Minds does and said he believes it will benefit the student population in the long run. He reiterated that people can only get better if they admit they need help.
“Mental health is not different from physical health,” Oluga said. “The best way to destigmatize mental health is to talk about it, to not be afraid of it.”
Weinberg sophomore Mia Cavallo, the external education co-chair of Active Minds, admitted that the club’s reach is limited. She said it can sometimes be difficult for the club to get people to attend their events, especially with the many other wellness-related clubs on campus. However, Cavallo said her goal remains to make a difference in just one person’s life.
“Even if people don’t feel like they need to come to our events, knowing that a group of people exist that cares about student mental health is going to improve student mental health,” Cavallo said. “That makes all of us feel like we’re leaving our mark on the school.”
While they’re not experts, members of Active Minds aim to guide students in the right direction by fostering meaningful conversations.
“(Active Minds) showed me that there are resources for people who are struggling with their mental health,” Leppert said. “They just made it feel very open and accessible.
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