Active Minds is a national nonprofit organization devoted to spreading mental health awareness, specifically on college campuses. In only a little over ten years, Active Minds has become a well known entity and has expanded to many college campuses, originating at the University of Pennsylvania and even extending to our very own campus here at Chapman University.
Active Minds at Chapman has two main focuses. The first is eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness and the second is educating students on how to identify signs of mental illness and providing students with the right resources when seeking help. Active Minds host several events on campus throughout the year. Some of these include a photo campaign recognizing September as National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, National Day Without Stigma, and Furry Friends for Finals. Chapman’s Active Minds also invites speakers to come to campus and talk about mental health awareness.
As far as getting involved, all students are welcomed to Chapman’s Active Minds meetings on Tuesdays at 5:00pm in Hashinger 111. In meetings, members engage in various mental health research discussions while also getting to know each other better.
In an interview with Hannah Malus, Chapman’s Active Minds co-president, Hannah said something that truly made an impression on me. “People think mental illness is black and white. It’s actually a spectrum, and it becomes a question of where do you fall on the spectrum.”
As Hannah had explained, there are lots of resources when it comes to seeking help. One great and easily accessible resource on campus is Chapman’s Student Psychological Counseling Services. They are located at 410 N. Glassell St. (between Public Safety & Student Health) and their phone number is (714) 997-6778.
If you are facing issues regarding your own mental health, please don’t be afraid to reach out for support. Active Minds and Chapman’s Student Psychological Counseling Services are here to help!