Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society

University Hosts Second Annual Mental Health Awareness Week

Monday, October 2, 2017, By Joyce LaLonde
Share
Active Mindsfaculty and staffOffice of Health PromotionStudents

From Oct. 2-5, the University will hold its second annual Mental Health Awareness Week. The effort is coordinated by a cross-campus collaboration, including the Office of Health Promotion and the Mental Wellness Peer Educators, Student Association, Active Minds at SU, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at SU, the Counseling Center, the Disability Cultural Center, Hendricks Chapel and the Office of Student Assistance.

Mental Health Awareness WeekThroughout the week, the campus community is invited to engage in discussions and activities about mental health. This year, the organizers wanted to create opportunities and spaces to talk about mental health at SU while raising awareness and providing connections to campus resources on campus.

“Mental health advocacy is about supporting each other, acknowledging struggles, celebrating resiliency and continuing to work toward positive mental health as a community,” says Angie Pati, vice president of Student Association. “We all may have different mental health stories, but there is one unifying factor: we are never alone. Mental health advocacy is about making sure we truly feel that sentiment.”

The schedule for the week is as follows:

  • Monday, Oct. 2—The Mental Health Awareness Week kick-off hosted by Student Association will be on the Quad from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students are invited to stop by and enjoy the inflatables, games and free T-shirts. The event will also address inequity and mental health alongside Shack-a-thon.
  • Tuesday, Oct. 3—Intersectionality Matters, hosted by NAMI and Active Minds, will be a roundtable discussion about mental health and identity at 6:30 p.m. in 214 Hall of Languages.
  • Wednesday, Oct. 4—Send Silence Packing, hosted by Active Minds, is an exhibition on the Quad to represent the number of college students lost to suicide each year.
  • Thursday, Oct. 5—Therapy Dog Thursday, hosted by the Office of Health Promotion in partnership with Pet Partners, brings therapy dogs to the Quad from 2-6 p.m. Also, Sunset Yoga, hosted by Student Association, welcomes Dean Konkol of Hendricks Chapel to speak on the Quad at 6 p.m. with yoga to follow at 6:30 p.m.

Throughout the week, the campus community will also be invited to tie green ribbons in the Orange Grove for mental health awareness.

“This week gives us opportunities to think about how we play a vital role in creating a community of caring that helps us find connection and belonging at Syracuse, practice compassion toward others and ourselves, and start what can sometimes be difficult conversations about mental health,” says Kristelle Aisaka, health promotion specialist for mental health in the Office of Health Promotion. “Mental Health Awareness Week is not only about the week itself, but also about how we can continue to build awareness and support for mental health more broadly throughout the rest of the year and beyond.”

Following the awareness week, the Office of Health Promotion Mental Wellness Peer Educators will continue advocacy and education work. For them, Mental Health Awareness Week provides an avenue to begin these discussions.

“I hope that with the events, more students will stop and think about mental health and well-being empowerment,” says Crystal Hendriks, a senior in Falk College and mental wellness peer educator. “Every event that involves getting feedback and raising discussion about mental health from students will help us as peer educators be able to see the needs that we can address.”

Mental Wellness Peer Educators are available throughout the academic year to give presentations and workshops to classes, offices, floors or student organizations about mental wellness. Current programs relate to sleep, stress reduction, time management and mindfulness. Schedule a session for your group here.

More information about Mental Health Awareness Week or access to join the volunteer listserv is available on the Office of Health Promotion website. For questions, contact Aisaka at kkaisaka@syr.edu.

  • Author

Joyce LaLonde

  • Recent
  • Bioengineering Ph.D. Student Receives National Recognition for Breakthrough Molecular Computational Tool
    Wednesday, April 14, 2021, By Alex Dunbar
  • Whitman Maintains Prestigious AACSB International Accreditation
    Wednesday, April 14, 2021, By Dawn McWilliams
  • Search Committee Appointed to Identify Candidates for Next Chief, Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services
    Wednesday, April 14, 2021, By News Staff
  • ‘Build Your Financial Know-How’ Wellness Workshops Offered to Faculty and Staff in May
    Wednesday, April 14, 2021, By News Staff
  • Campus Celebrates First-Generation Student Appreciation Week
    Wednesday, April 14, 2021, By Gabrielle Lake

More In Health & Society

Roundtable to Explore Vaccine History, Racial Disparities Within the Medical System, and COVID-19 Vaccine Options

The Barnes Center at The Arch, in partnership with the College of Law, COVID Project Management Office, Office of Student Living and Office of Diversity and Inclusion, will host a roundtable on Friday, April 16, at 1 p.m. focused on…

Syracuse University Partners With Syracuse City School District to Provide Pathways to Higher Learning

Syracuse University embraces its commitment to promoting positive change that simultaneously advances knowledge and opportunity for all citizens. A large part of that commitment is providing access to a Syracuse University education to local high school students. In partnership with…

Lender Center for Social Justice Hosts Community Conversation on Race, Disability and Justice

The Lender Center for Social Justice, along with the Center on Disability and Inclusion and the Landscape of Urban Education Lecture Series, is bringing the community together for a broad-ranging discussion on Policed Bodies: A Community Conversation on Race, Disability…

Graduate Student Works With Food Policy Council to Combat Rising Food Scarcity Due to COVID

Nel Gaudé worked in kitchens for a decade before now pursuing a master’s degree in food studies. This tangible professional cooking experience gives them insight and allows them to think creatively about issues related to their coursework. After Gaudé was…

Online Master of Social Work Opens Doors to Career Changers, Working Professionals

The School of Social Work will welcome its first cohort of online master’s students in May, and Professor Ken Marfilius is excited. “We are already seeing strong applications for our first cohort of 50 students. I think the COVID-19 pandemic…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.