During the month of October, Active Minds participated in the National Day Without Stigma. On the night before, our members split into groups and chalked up several sidewalks around campus with messages that would initiate conversation about mental health and spread positivity. The next day, officers set up a table in the Student Union to talk about the negative impact that mental health stigma has had on people of all ages and how we can fight against that stigma by initiating conversation about mental health.
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For our last campaign of the semester, we participated in Trunk-or-Treat, a campus-wide event in cooperation with the city of Richardson. Student organizations were instructed to decorate a car's trunk on the theme of different movies and give out candy in the spirit of Halloween. To best represent our organization, we decorated our trunk based on Inside Out, a Pixar movie about personified emotions. Through this event, we were able to organize a fun social event for members and also raise awareness for mental health.
One of the main goals of Active Minds is to fundraise for the support of countless organizations and resources that are offered nationwide to those who are suffering from mental illnesses. Not only did Active Minds at UTD collaborate with different businesses to raise funds, we also hosted a Raising Canes Fundraiser on Coit and Campbell. Through the participation of our members and the community, we were able to raise money for a good cause.
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Active Minds at UTD also hosted three general meetings during the semester, where we engaged in different activities and discussions regarding mental health. Members had the opportunity to voice their opinions on different scenarios and topics, including depression and PTSD.
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Our chapter was also featured in the media in efforts to raise awareness about our campaigns and share our efforts and our vision with the DFW community. These media include 'Fight The Stigma' by UTD Mercury and 'Campus mental health services need support' by Star-Telegram Fort Worth.
Spring 2017
Our second semester in operation brought a significant increase in campus involvement and a growing number of members. Not only were we able to establish a presence on the UT Dallas campus but were able to create a positive atmosphere and a safe space for all students.
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One of the main focuses of Active Minds at UT Dallas was to raise awareness and educate students and faculty on mental health issues and the importance of recognizing them. We hoped to achieve this goal by inviting speakers to address different topics regarding mental health. During the month of January our president Asad Mustafa and our research liason Alan-Michael Sonuyi led a discussion about depression and ways to combat it. In February, Sneha Petra, a doctoral intern clinician from the Student Counseling Center, came to speak to members about eating disorders. In an engaging discussion, she educated students on the stigmas and misconceptions about eating disorders and the psychological effects that eating disorders can have. In March, we invited Teena Adler-Roberts, a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) from NAMI Dallas. She spoke about her own past struggles with depression and bipolar disorder and her mission was a part of NAMI Dallas. Her thought-provoking discussion allowed our members to realize the existing stigmas against mental illnesses and the profound reality of these issues.
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From February 27th to March 3rd, Active Minds at UTD participated in the National Eating Disorder Awareness (NEDA) Week. From the very first day, we organized tabling events to raise awareness about eating disorders and educate students on campus. We also hosted Operation Beautiful, an event for members to go around campus and put Post-It notes on walls around campus with positive body image messages. In collaboration with the Student Wellness Student, we invited members to participate in the Mirrors on the Mall event, where students and faculty enjoy a display of mirrors and motivational messages regarding body image. Our members painted the spirit rocks with the periwinkle color, in honor of Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
To continue with our mission to support multiple mental health organizations and research teams across the country, Active Minds at UTD held fundraising events and established sponsorships with different businesses. Most significantly, we held a Bake Sale on campus and were sponsored by CustomInk. We hope that our donations as part of Active Minds, Inc. can make a significant impact in the mental health community as we work to fight the stigma that surrounds mental illnesses.
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Due to popular demand by members and appreciation by the UT Dallas community during Fall 2016, Active Minds at UTD decided to make Chalk Out a monthly event! We set a theme for every Chalk Out event, which usually coincided with the mental health issues we were addressing during that month. For example, we held Chalk Out Eating Disorders at the end of February for National Eating Disorder Awareness Week and Chalk Out Stress during the month of April as final exams approached. Participants split into groups and went to different places on campus to write positive messages and address mental health stigma. We had a great turnout for each month and hope to continue Chalk Out in the future!
During the month of April, we collaborated with Us4Hope, a nonprofit working to research and provide resources on the adaptation of physical fitness, exercise, and healthy nutrition as a way to cope with and overcome mental illnesses. Our officers set us tables in the Student Union to raise awareness about the benefits of physical health and how it correlates with mental health. We included physical activities, including hula hoops, jump ropes, and balloon juggling, and gave our prizes to participants.
Lastly, Active Minds at UTD started a blog on our website, which is run by Vice President Yusra Soomro. With monthly posts, we hope to raise awareness about mental health issues through a familiar media: the Internet itself! Every month, we will be highlighting different aspects of dealing with mental illnesses and how to improve our personal mental health. We would like our members' support with this blog through comments and suggestions, as well as sharing personal stories and opinions (if you are comfortable) to allow us to share a much more encompassing perspective on mental health.
LOOKING BACK AT 2016-2017!
Fall 2016
The Fall 2016 semester was the inaugural semester of the UT Dallas chapter of Active Minds. Right off the bat, Active Minds at UTD made a significant impact on and off campus.
The first, and most significant, project that our chapter participated in this semester was the nationwide Kognito Challenge during September 2016. The Kognito Challenge is a 30 minute simulation geared to teach participants how to engage and interact in situations that involve mental illness and disabilities. Our chapter placed 15th out of the 400+ chapters of Active Minds, with 66 participants who completed the challenge. Because of our chapter's success with the Kognito Challenge, we were awarded fundraising credit as well.
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During the month of September, we participated in the National Suicide Prevention Week, an annual, week-long campaign to inform and engage the general public about the nature of suicide, suicide prevention, and the warning signs of suicide. An average of 1,100 college students die by suicide every year, so Active Minds deems it incumbent to share the message and spread awareness and positivity. During this week, we participated in several events around campus. In a campaign called "Painting Positive Vibes", students met at the UT Dallas spirit rocks to paint positive messages for fellow passing students. Students also partook in "Timeout Tuesday", a de-stressing event to take our minds off of midterms for a few hours. Our members also participated in the "22 Push-Up Challenge" to show support for our veterans and raise awareness for veteran suicide prevention.