Active Minds

National Day Without Stigma

National Day Without Stigma is designed to create a unified program for all Active Minds chapters that highlights the importance of raising awareness and educating people about mental health issues to help ensure that students receive the help they need. 

Goal:

Remove stigma by promoting awareness and thus increasing help seeking behavior. 

What's involved?

Participating chapters can download program materials and sign-up to receive program materials including a list of suggested events, posters, postcards, bookmarks, a sample donor request letter, Active Minds, Inc. giveaways and more.  Exact events and activities vary across campuses, but participating chapters often hold the following events:

• Counselors Out of the Center in which counseling center staff come meet students on campus outside of the counseling center.  This allows students to meet counselors, psychologists and other staff, putting a friendly face with potential sources of help.  Counseling Center Staff hand out information at the campus Dining Hall, Student Union or large public spaces. 
• Panel discussions on mental health stigma.
• Tabling on campus with mental health resources, brochures, information and giveaways.
• Stomp Out Stigma event, whether it is a fundraising run or crowd-gathering campus step team performance. 

When?

National Day Without Stigma is held annually on the Monday of Mental Health Awareness Week, which takes place in the beginning of October.  National Day Without Stigma 2009 occurs on October 5. 

For more information about National Day Without Stigma, contact: sara@activeminds.org.

If you're an Active Minds Chapter member looking for more information, don't forget to log-in to have access to all program materials and resources .