The Mental Health Awareness Club is an active, student-led group at PDS that works to raise awareness about mental health and involve the student community in breaking the stigma surrounding the topic. Director of Counseling and Learning Support Specialist, Dr. Dawson, one of the club’s faculty advisors, shared, “In club meetings and events, we try to discuss and share strategies for things like healthy coping strategies, stress management, normalizing the full range of human emotions, how to engage in self-care, and knowing how to seek help for yourself or someone else when needed and sharing that information with the broader community.”
From engaging guest speakers such as Lisa Damour and Dr. Matt Bellace, who shared their expertise on mental health and how to deal with emotions such as stress, to hot chocolate stations and therapy dogs, the Mental Health Awareness Club has hosted several events throughout the school year to help students feel supported to reinforce the club’s message. Ms. Peck-Nolte, another faculty advisor to the club, said, “The timing is intentionally around the end of the semester when students have reported the most stress with assignments and assessments.” The club has also hosted four bake sales to raise money for several mental health organizations, such as Attitudes in Reverse, an organization educating the youth about mental health, and Minding Your Mind, another organization dedicated to educating people about mental health through guest speakers who share their stories.
Looking forward, the Mental Health Awareness Club is eager to continue planning fun and engaging activities where students learn skills that address their emotional health. Senior Sresta Aitharaju, co-head of the Mental Health Awareness Club, stated, “…[We] also have some bigger goals for upcoming years such as a Mental Health Day, more school-wide surveys to see what the student body needs, and maybe a student panel or a way to hear more from our students.”
So far, the Mental Health Awareness Club has had a very eventful and impactful year. The response to their work has been extremely positive, and they hope to involve even more students to expand their impact. Sophomore Neya Srinivasan remarked, “I love coming to our meetings. I feel so relaxed and they allow me to wind-down.” If you’re interested in getting involved, join them next Day 7 during Community Block!
