This article was posted with written permission from Becky Hardy, Editor-in-Chief, The Auburn Plainsman.
Mental Wealth Week inspires positive thought
By Rebecca Oliver/Campus writer
Active Minds, SGA and Theta Chi fraternity are partnering to host Mental Wealth Week to raise awareness and give students the opportunity to speak out about mental health by participating in a series of events the week of Jan. 20-23.
According to Kyle Marchuk, Active Minds president and senior in marketing, the leadership committee consists of two representatives from each sponsoring organization.
Joe Cotton, SGA senator for student affairs and graduate student in pharmacy, said mental health is important for college students.
“We’ve had a wide range of issues on Auburn’s campus that SGA needed to respond to by making sure that mental health is a priority,” Cotton said.
The week kicked off Tuesday, Jan. 20 in the Foy Auditorium with comedian and mental health activist Kevin Breel’s TED talk.
A documentary on addiction will be shown in Haley 2182 on Jan. 21 from 7-9 p.m. there will be a social movement on the concourse all day called “Reasons I Speak” on Thursday, Jan. 22.
Students will participate by writing their reason for speaking out on mental health awareness on a chalkboard. They will then take a Polaroid picture of themselves holding their chalkboard.
Mental Wealth Week will conclude Friday Jan. 23 with “Stomp out Stigma” on the concourse.
Students are welcome to stop by and pop bubble wrap, which represents eliminating mental health stigmas.
Kohl Weir, Theta Chi vice president of health and safety and senior in industrial engineering, said students should feel safe to share their thoughts during Mental Health Week.
“We want to create an environment that gives students the sense that they can be open about how they’re coping with the stresses of college life,” Weir said.
Marchuk said the organizations involved hope to make Mental Wealth Week an annual event.
“College is an important and busy time in our lives but it’s also a time to stay focused on personal health through creating ‘wealth’ in positive thought, action and awareness,” Marchuk said.
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