Pilots Prevent
March 1, 2021
The Active Minds UP chapter was formed during a time of crisis. After a tragic series of student suicides prompted a need for community dialogue surrounding mental health, three students founded the UP chapter of the national organization in 2016 to advocate for awareness around mental health issues, fight stigma surrounding mental health, and provide students access to health resources.
Today, during another time of crisis, Active Minds continues to be a robust and award-winning student organization focused on empowering students through peer-to-peer mental health education. Faculty advisor Sarina Saturn, psychological sciences, underscores the need for students to be able to provide support and care to one another. “Students are witnessing what their classmates, friends, and roommates are experiencing, and it’s a lot easier to disclose personal information to each other,” she says. “It’s easier for them to recognize concern.” The group recently won a health equity award for its work in centering and serving diverse and marginalized students who often face more barriers to getting health treatment.
Active Minds covers a varied spread of health education subjects, but the issue of self-care is central to their programming. It’s a timely topic, garnering both positive and negative attention. “There can be a notion that it’s self-indulgent,” Saturn says. “But one of the best things you can do is look out for yourself. If you take care of yourself, you can better take care of others.” Active Minds promotes education on self-compassion, meditation, and gives students practical skills to manage the increasing demands that come with college life. “UP students have big hearts, and are concerned about family and community,” says Saturn. “We build skills for coping with anxiety, coping with COVID, succeeding in academics, and being a compassionate community member.”
Even though COVID challenges call for physical distancing, Saturn has noticed that social connections are more innovative and needed than ever. Active Minds reaches students through social media, they meet regularly every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. over Zoom, and they collaborate with other student clubs to expand and build community connections. “One beautiful thing is that the world is a little smaller,” Saturn says, “so we’ve had guests from far away dial in. We’re reinventing how we create community, and taking advantage of the technology. I’ve seen a lot of traditional silos dismantled, and more bridges being built.” Active Minds partners regularly with the Health and Counseling Center (HCC) and the Academic Mental Health Network (AMHN) to offer suicide prevention trainings, and they’ve recently collaborated with I Am Psyched PDX, Mixed Student Union, UP Body Positive Club, and other groups to host inclusive conversations on intersectional issues of mental health, race, gender, sexuality and more.
This Friday, March 5, at 1 p.m. there’s an upcoming opportunity to see the kinds of resources that Active Minds UP and AMHN offer. This UP Community of Care hosts an amazing lineup of guest speakers who will share the mental and physical health resources available to the UP community. Next month, Active Minds is going virtual with their annual Fresh Check Day, an opportunity for students to check-in on their mental health status, gain practical tools to manage their mental health, and find ways to educate themselves on a variety of topics. Follow Active Minds UP on Instagram for regular programming updates, and email activeminds@up.edu for more information.
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