Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) is hosting its annual Pop the Stigma mental health week from Sept. 26 to 30., which aims to reduce the stigma around mental health issues.
Pop the Stigma includes many events, such as workshops on mindfulness and wellness, as well as more hands-on mental health related programming like paint therapy and therapy animals.
The goal is for all students to learn, grow and thrive, said Alexandra Noguera, CUSA vice-president (student issues).
Students can only do this “when all their basic needs are met, and your mental health is one of the most important elements of your health in general,” she said.
According to Noguera, the week has two main focuses: connecting people to available resources, and de-stigmatizing the topic of mental health.
With Pop the Stigma, Noguera said she hopes to encourage more open discussion amongst students about mental health, as well as a high level of student encouragement and involvement.
“We want students who are struggling to know they have the support from their community,” she said.
According to Nogeura, two interesting new events this year are paint therapy and laughter therapy, which will both take place on Sept. 29.
Noguera added there are several new measures being taken to improve mental health policies on-campus this year.
Person-centred design workshops, one of the new strategies, will allow students to get engaged in the creation of mental health policies on campus, she said.
Throughout the year, students will also be able to meet with the university to discuss how both Carleton and CUSA’s budgets can be better used to directly impact student mental health, giving them a more active role in implementation, Noguera said.
Greg Owens, president of the Student Alliance for Mental Health, said the best way to raise awareness for mental health is to “bring the conversation to communities and to sections of communities that don’t normally talk about it.”
Owens said Pop the Stigma is a great starting point in raising mental health awareness on campus, but that there is still a long way to go in terms of implementation.
“The week plays an excellent role in putting the idea of mental health forward,” Owens said, but he mentioned that more policy changes surrounding mental health from organizations like CUSA are needed.
Long wait times to see counsellors and financial barriers were some deterrents that Owens said students might face in getting the help they need.
Austin Pellizzer, a second-year political science student, said he was interested in attending the week’s Eating Disorders from a Lived Experience event, which is put on by Overeaters Anonymous.
“It’s just a topic that I personally don’t know much about and I think it would be interesting and beneficial to attend,” Pellizzer said.
Pellizzer said he was optimistic about the campaign and said that many of the events being held would benefit students during the busy midterm season.
