D’ASIA BURRELL – Co-Writer 
KAMRYN PRINCE – Co-Writer
Active Minds’ Your Voice Is Your Power campaign is a call to action that prioritizes BIPOC student mental health and encourages young adults to use their voices to talk about mental health disparities and spread awareness.
Young adults are at high risk for developing mental health challenges, including anxiety, stress, and depression and BIPOC students are twenty percent more likely to experience mental health issues than the rest of the population. One in five college students reported that their mental health has significantly gotten worse during COVID and 60% of students have indicated that it has been more of a challenge to access mental health services.
The need for equitable access to mental health resources is now more necessary than ever.
Here are some things you can do in 10 minutes or less to help your campus community be more inclusive:
- Reach out to with different student organizations via social media to increase awareness and the importance of creating change within your community. Collaborating with other organizations on campus can provide more students with resources, knowledge, and awareness.
- Check-in with yourself and friends! Ask, “How are you doing mentally, physically, or emotionally?” Being a listening ear and sending words of encouragement can go a long way. To learn how to help a friend in need, check out our V-A-R guide.
- Encourage your friends and family to look into support resources.
If you know someone who is struggling, guide them to resources that they can use to seek help. - Brainstorm discussion topics surrounding mental health with your peers. Having these discussions is an important part of this campaign. Come up with fun and engaging ways to have these conversations with your peers in your community!
- Share Your Voice Is Your Power information and tag Active Minds on social media. Actively post resources and tools about Your Voice Is Your Power. Sharing information on social media is a great way to show how you’re bringing awareness to others and possible partners.
A few things to remember:
- It’s okay to start small. Don’t get discouraged if you feel like your ideas aren’t being implemented fast enough. Change requires dedication and patience!
- Always ask for help. You’re likely not alone in wanting to spread awareness about mental health around your community. Find peers that are willing to help and pitch ideas about ways to share information or schedule office hours with team members from the Active Minds National Office for tips and advice.
