It is with a lot of pride that I announce the release of a joint 5B campaign regarding Mental Wellness on Penn’s campus – My Safe Space at Penn. The 5B (Five Boards – Asian Pacific Student Coalition, Penn Lambda Alliance, University of Pennsylvania Latino Coalition, The United Minorities Council - UMC, & Umoja Board) have worked hard alongside the office of [the] VPUL (Vice Provost of University Life) to raise awareness around a topic that is vital to the health of our student body. There has been a lot of dialogue surrounding mental health this past semester. Several student deaths sparked a conversation among members of the community to advocate for more resources on campus to prevent these tragedies. And prevention is exactly what is at the heart of our campaign. Speaking from personal experience, coping with mental health is not an isolated experience that happens to that one friend or that one classmate. We like to think it is. We like to think that the chances of facing a problem, let alone a serious one are slim. We like to think that we are not one out of three students who are likely to face a mental health or substance abuse problem in college. We like to think we are strong, intelligent, independent, and healthy, with qualities of leadership and a sense of vision to boot. And we are… but there is always more complexity to our stories and we all know it. We all know it in the back of our minds as we throw façade after façade in the face of our lesser known acquaintances and friends. We all know it even as our closest friends vex us. We all know it when we think the people who should make sense of us the most do not. We all know it when we begin to conjure storms in our minds to tell them everything, as if understanding came in like waves to a shore, as if one wave can douse them with full comprehension when our minds experience currents that surround entire continents constructed from whole oceans. We all know it when we wish they would stop giving us advice but just let us plunge them into the waters with us, to keep us company, to watch the schools of fish swimming near the light, to see the beautiful coral reefs near the shallow, warm waters, and to help us uncover with eyes unclouded the abysmal organisms that exist at the very bottom, with very little food or sunlight only to envelop us in the darkest of times when we find ourselves at the deepest parts of our ocean. We all know it when we realize our biggest weakness is not anything tangible but it is not being able to articulate who we are and why we feel… all those feelings. This five minute video can be shared between a couple of people (and can go viral if we are lucky for a couple of days) but a moment of understanding between two people can last a lifetime. These students found a safe space at our six cultural centers but I encourage you to find your own with someone or something. Our minds need a gym as much as our physical bodies do. And when you cannot find that space, just know that these centers have done that job countless times over. Sincerely, Mithin G. Thomas Asian Pacific Student Coalition | Chair University of Pennsylvania | Class of 201X [email protected] | XXX-XXX-XXXX
Posted on: Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:18:11 +0000
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