“Shrink” Away Stigma
When entering a college environment, there is a massive amount of people to interact with. This is not high school anymore, where you recognize a good portion of the people around you. Now, you will encounter a plethora of new people, from many different places. The world is your oyster, after all, so you should seize the opportunity to mingle. This could mean finding new friends, hobbies, and things to do on a Friday night, besides binge-watching yet another Netflix Original Series.
With the sheer number of people present on a college campus, it seems like it wouldn’t be that hard to find new friends. (insert picture of multicultural friend group sitting in the grass laughing together) However, it is not that simple. While I am sure some people can take the whole “social interaction with strangers”, thing by its horns and come out on top, there are many others who would rather not have awkward or forced interaction, point-blank.
But, that is why student organizations exist. Luckily, there are places to enter social interaction, minus the sweaty palms and inconvenient stuttering. This, paired with the reassurance of some form of commonality or shared interest, can make socializing less intimidating. Students have the power to create an environment and a safe place for themselves, and those alike.
An organization that I would personally create, would be one that de-stigmatizes mental illness.
Plenty of young people are attempting to live balanced lives, but have been affected in some manner, current or past, by mental illness. There doesn’t seem to be a place to just talk about these things in a casual manner. So, an organization like this could help people dealing with, or ones close to those dealing with mental illness, feel less isolated. From personal experience, I know just how alone you can feel when facing, or merely existing with mental illness of some sort.
When living with an illness, there are times when you question your value, judgment, and purpose. And quite frankly, unless it is in the framing of a possibly offensive (eh, or possibly funny-insert Kermit the frog meme here) or ignorance-based joke, most people don’t address mental illness at all. For nearly two and a half years in high school, I felt like I lived a double life. Most days I’d go to school, go to soccer practice, come home. But on other days I had an appointment to see my therapist, and every night for those two and a half years I took medication. These things didn’t exactly pop up in my daily casual conversations with friends and family.
While these things were necessary for my health and paid off in the end, I never felt truly understood, or like I had someone who was like me, to talk to. An organization with a focus on interaction and likeness could prevent this feeling and remedy it for many people. Overall, the purpose of this group would also be to acknowledge, support, and provide a safe space, while encouraging healthy behaviors, getting help when needed.
