During fall 2020, members of the Mental Wellness Center’s Wellness Connection Council (WCC) launched a monthly blurb in our e-Newsletter. This blurb is written by the Council.

May is Mental Health Awareness month, as well as the last month of the council for us at the Wellness Connection! We have taken this month to reflect and also synthesize the skills we developed over the past year like mindfulness, active listening, connecting with others, and understanding our community resources, by putting together a mental health action plan so that we know how to assess, approach and aid others who may be struggling from a mental health challenge or crisis.

We learned how to offer support to someone who is struggling and get them to a trusted adult. We also learned how important it is to act quickly and calmly in emergency situations such as a substance overdose, and what steps to take if we are concerned someone is considering suicide. Although these topics are heavy, they are necessary to talk about in order to destigmatize the conversation and get people the appropriate professional help they need to get better.

We learned that having a trusted adult is the number one indicator of resiliency for youth, and identified the trusted adults in our lives that we could turn to during a challenge or crisis. We realized that it is essential to reach out to those who we suspect are experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis and link them to a trusted adult. We now know the faster someone gets the support and mental health treatment they need, the better their long-term outcome will be.

Most of all we learned that being an UPSTANDER is the most important role we can play in our schools and in our communities. Our voices are powerful tools for change and we can help so many people by speaking up for the causes that matter most. We encourage you to be Upstanders this month and everyday. It can be as simple as offering kindness, connection, and open conversation to someone who needs support.

We are so grateful for what this year has taught us and look forward to the 2021-2022 council year!