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UCL Medical students mastermind What Do You Think?: a mental health awareness day to change your perspective on mental illness
20 January 2017
Did you know that 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year?* Someone you know may have a mental health problem right now.
It could be a family member,
a friend, a classmate, a lab partner, a flatmate. Despite the
likelihood that someone you know may be suffering, how comfortable are we
really when it comes to talking about mental illness? The answer according to
two UCL students is we're not comfortable enough and that needs to change.
Aisling
O'Sullivan and Jia Su (Jerry), third-year medical students, are determined to
raise mental health awareness at the university and breakdown stigmas so that
UCL students can openly discuss the issues impacting their lives. To that end,
they have masterminded What Do You Think? an interactive mental health
awareness day to give students the chance to
better understand the many facets of mental illness and the role they might
have in looking out for the mental health of loved ones and ourselves.
Mindful raves, creative writing and origami
The free event, which is being held at UCL on Saturday 11 February, will bring together authors, poets, playwrights and a clinical psychologists to host talks, workshops, discussions, and exhibitions that will challenge students' thinking. If you are lucky enough to get a ticket to the all-day event, your day will kick off with a mindful rave followed by yoga workshops to help you feel as relaxed as possible before the talks and discussions begin. You can also avail of a mindful origami workshop, creative writing sessions, as well as enjoy the aptly named pillow room exhibition.
Event organiser Aisling O'Sullivan explains, "We've got a really wide range of activities lined up, as well as some great speakers on board, including Ruby Elliott (rubyetc) a 22-year-old London-based artist who shares cartoons and illustrations about mental health and everyday life. Ruby will showcase her artwork, while Fiona Geddes, the Scottish playwright who has written about schizophrenia from the perspective of a carer, will share her unique experiences."
Positive feedback and funding
What Do You Think?, an idea
that was 12 months in the making, was given a huge boost as a result of a
£1,000 grant from UCL ChangeMakers.
Aisling explains, "Mental illness is an issue that is very close to my heart, as my sister has experienced difficulties with their mental health. So it's something that's always on my mind. When I started studying at UCL it became clear that lots of students struggle with their mental health but few feel comfortable talking about it. I wanted to bring the issues out into the open and thought I could do that through an awareness day at the university.
"I wasn't sure if my idea would take off, but once I began sharing it with students and staff, I got nothing but positive feedback. When Jerry came on board things really started to gain momentum, his encouragement and input has been key. Jerry was the one who submitted proposal to UCL ChangeMakers to see if they would fund the idea. The team there gave us a lot of guidance and we were delighted when we found out that ChangeMakers had given us £1,000 to put on the event."
Speaking about the event, Dr Jenny Marie, Director of UCL ChangeMakers said, "UCL ChangeMakers is delighted to support the Mental Health Awareness Day, which will provide education about mental health and resources to enable attendees to manage their own mental health. We hope that this will enable attendees to manage stress around their academic work as well as everyday lives and to create a more supportive learning environment for everyone at UCL."
For more information on the schedule and to book a ticket visit What Do You Think? event page.
* Mind.org.uk: Mental health facts and statistics
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