Collegiate Mental Health Week
To provide young adults all across Stark County the resiliency tools to handle every day challenges,
C&A is sponsoring their fourt annual Collegiate Fair to promote Self Care and Positive Mental Health at Stark County's college and universities in October and early November.
The collegiate self-care fairs remind students of important self-care strategies and tips. For many collegiate students on residential campuses, this is there first experience away from home making their decisions and deciding how to spend free time.
Stark County also offers a college experience for students on non-residential campuses. Students are these campuses face different challenges that residential students which include a job, family or other family responsibilities.
Community Partnerships
C&A is proud to work with community partners to provide students who participate in the fair with important messaging on self-care, suicide awareness/prevention and campus and community resources that are available in a time of crisis.
This year, C&A is partnering with Stark County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery, Coleman Crisis Center, Stark County Adult Led Prevention and the College Collaborative Grant, which is offered through the Ohio Program for College Safety and Mental Health.
The Coleman Crisis Center will speak with young adults at partner schools on their services for students who are struggling emotionally and who may be considering harming themselves. Coleman Crisis will provide brochures on their 24/7 Mobile Crisis Service.
Stark Help Central, a program of StarkMHAR, will provide information on suicide prevention to students. The information includes two suicide pocket brochures, a refrigerator magnet and a pen. For more information on their services, visit www.starkhelpcentral.com
Stark Help Central video
Resource video
C&A’s Stark County Adult Led Prevention is new program to the agency this year. The team will be at each event explaining the program and recruiting adults ages 18-25 to participate in the organization that promotes living a substance free lifestyle.
StarkMHAR is a sponsor for this year's event and provided collateral for the self-care kits that willl be handed out to students.
Ohio Program for Campus Safety & Mental Health provided the College Collaborative grant for funding events at each campus.
PARTNER SCHOOLS
Partnering schools for this important effort include Aultman College, Kent State University - Stark Campus, Malone University, the University of Mount Union, Walsh University and Stark State College.
Each participating school will be hosting C&A for two hours on a different day throughout October and early November to bring important self-care tips to students on campus.
The week of the collegiate fair, students will see yard signs providing important messaging on suicide awareness and prevention.
C&A's Trauma Therapist Mary Kreitz will be doing a suicide prevention training on QPR (Questions, Persuade and Refer) for students. The presentation will be hybrid and Aultman College will be hosting this event.
BUILDING RESILIENCY SKILLS THROUGH ACTIVITIES
Students who stop by the booth can also play Jenga. During the game, students will pull a block and read a positive saying while continuing to build the tower upwards, strengthening the foundation. When the one piece that is pulled out causes the foundation to crack and fall, the student will rely on tips they learned playing the game to rebuild the foundation.
Students will have the opportunity to do a make-and-take activity that includes a test tube bottle, water and glitter. Students can place water and glitter in the tube and shake-it-up. As the glitter is floating in the tube, students can view how easy it is for thoughts to be jumbled and unsettled. When the glitter settles to the bottom, and the water is clear, students can see over time that clearer, calmer thoughts lead to a better result.
This year, students will have the opportunity to roll a die. Whichever number comes up, will correspond with a number. For example, if a two is rolled, the student will be asked to name two self-care techniques the student has implemented for good self-care.
Resources
The University of Mount Union has offered their radio station WRMU as a way to reach UMU students with mental health messaging through public service announcements (PSA). These PSA’s will be available for other partner schools to share on their social media channels.
Mindfulness
Healthy Snacks
Exercise
Signs of Depression
Positive Thinking