AUW’s Response to Mental Health Challenges

Nusaiba Binte Zakaria and Sonam Euphel Choden

“We can always do more.”

Mental Health

This was the message that rang as effort was made through various events and activities emphasizing the importance of mental health amongst students. Mental health has always been a concern of the students and many staff but it was not until recently that the administration was seen to give more priority to this and take actions regarding mental health. Addressing mental health is indispensable particularly in an education setting where students are known to go through a lot of mental and emotional stress. Addressing mental health needs within our community is very important, and recently a number of initiatives have been taken to better support them.

On 22nd November, the Access Academy director, Professor  Mia Sasaki organized a sensitivity workshop for both the students and faculty of Access Academy. She expressed that the main objective behind this initiative was to generate understanding among the students and faculty about the multiple arising issues from discrimination. In AUW, most students find it difficult to adjust in the beginning as for most students, it is the first time so far from their family. The presence of an international community may make the student feel even more isolated. Mrs. Mia was concerned about the common issues in the campus – depression and stress – caused by different factors  She informed us that since this is an essential topic especially for the newcomers, this workshop would continue in the future as a part of orientation. The majority of the students who attended the workshop shared positive responses, saying that this workshop helped them to change their stereotypes about different groups, thus helping in creating a more inclusive community. The students expect more similar programs in the future, to help understand each other better.

In the following week, AUW’s Mental Health and Well-Being Club also initiated several activities this year, such as the weekly meditation sessions, yoga sessions and the candle circle, which is an open space for all to share a peaceful and supportive space by encouraging the community to light a candle in remembrance of a loved one or make a prayer. To learn more about these initiatives, The Echo interviewed Dr. Tiffany Cone, the advisor of this club.

“There are always more things that the AUW community can do as a whole to generate more trust, more connection, and more belonging.” Dr. Tiffany Cone, (Advisor of Mental Health and Well-Being Club)

Dr. Tiffany Cone discussed the possibility of a future  Arts and Wellness Center in AUW, where students can have a safe environment to practice arts, mindfulness, and spirituality. She emphasized the importance of having a strong team of people with expertise in different areas such as community health, psychology, and psychiatry to work closely together to address mental health needs. The ideal scenario would be having a team of four to five people who are experienced in working within diverse communities and multicultural environments.  

Professor Tiffany also pointed out that students sometimes tend to stick with the people from their own countries or even ethnic groups or religious sects. While this makes sense, as a community, we “could always do more”  to address ignorance and/or divisions amongst the student community. She expressed that art and problem-based projects are a wonderful way of bringing people closer. This is why the Mental Health and Well-Being Club plans on introducing workshops that would focus on arts, team building and solving problems together. Nonetheless, finding a physical space in this small campus for the Arts and Wellness Center has proved to be a substantial challenge. She hopes that when AUW moves to its permanent campus, the natural environment will be used as a space for the health and mindfulness practices as well.

In the wake of these happenings, The Echo conducted a poll to find out how students choose to cope with stress. The responses involved myriads of coping mechanisms such as music, dancing, calligraphy, fashion, talking to friends and family, traveling, eating junk food, and binge-watching TV series. The most common responses were music, talking, and being together with people to relieve the stress, further showing the need for the Arts and Wellness Center on Campus.

Overall, the biggest asset the AUW community currently has is themselves. While that is admirable, it is also inadequate when the number of students is so large and the problems so diverse. The Echo hopes to do its part by running Dear Apu, a column dedicated to helping with people’s problems on the Echo website. The student’s information will be kept confidential. However, we ultimately need each student, faculty, and authority member to take responsibility for each other’s and their own mental health as much as they can. At the end of the day, even a kind word or a patient ear goes a long way.