  Hello Stigma Fighters! As spring quarter treads on let’s take a look back at all that Winter had in store for UCLA’s Active Minds chapter! One highlight was last quarter was the “Me and Schizophrenia” event which gave our campus a chance to understand a condition that is often misconstrued in media. This event also gave some new members of our wonderful Education committee a chance to thrive and help organize this event. Thanks to our workshops committee, Active Minds had the exciting opportunity to hold a Mental Health Networking Night in Ackerman. This event brought together students and professionals alike who have a passion for mental health and destigmatizing while raising awareness. One of the best parts of being a part of a chapter as great as UCLA’s is the opportunities to engage in such opportunities that open the door for a career in the cause we all hold so close to our hearts.  Also put on by our wonderful workshops committee was the Transfer Workshop: Stress Less, Connect More. Transfer students are often put under a unique kind of pressure and this workshop reminded us to reflect and connect not only within the transfer community, but on campus as a whole. Premeds! If you found yourself at I am Pre-Med January 25th, you were likely graced with several panelists who gave us an interactive yet highly informative session on how pursuing medicine can be extremely rewarding but at a high cost- financially and personally. This event connected Active Minds to a large sector of students on campus who were not as familiar with our club, and created a dialogue on the intersection of highly demanding coursework in a school like UCLA, and one’s personal health and wellness. Thank you to Anusha Sadda for her tireless dedication to this event which gave so many students a chance to forge their “own path to medicine under the guidance of medical students.” Another highlight from the quarter was our collaboration with our fellow SWC committees for our Eating Disorder Awareness Week during 8th week- a time in the quarter when it is very easy to not prioritize health and wellness. Monday kicked off on BruinWalk with fellow bruins coming out to share why they love their body. Wednesday saw the Body Acceptance Art Space where we were able to make therapeutic art and repurpose scales. On Thursday was My Distorted Reality- a poignant and valuable conversation on the effects an eating disorder has upon someone’s perception of themselves. This event gave us all a chance to reflect on the causes and effects that manifest into a distorted reality- and why it is so difficult to heal from this altered perception. By Friday, we were back in our spirits to pledge to love our bodies in the coming year, and for the rest of our lives! All good things must come to an end, and this includes Winter Quarter. However it did not conclude without our events committee putting on the Stress Less Kit Fair Week 10! This fair gave us and students from all over campus a chance to pick up kits that had valuable tools and materials for entering the monstrosity that is week 10. These kits are a tradition within Active Minds, and we look forward to sharing these kits all year despite the finals that they coincide with- remember to prioritize your health even week 10!  All of Winter Quarter, and continuing into Spring, saw tireless dedication spearheaded by our Finance Director, Valerie Vessels, towards the success of our bracelet campaign. These award-winning iSupport bracelets are each handmade by an SWC Active Minds member and represent a different mental illness, represented by the nationally recognized awareness color. 100% of the proceeds contribute to Active Minds!
Every quarter brings new highs and lows and Winter was no exception. While it may be extra difficult to stay positive and energetic when the days are shorter and the work is getting harder, hopefully Active Minds has fostered a community where one can feel supported and appreciated even through the infamous Winter Quarter. Here’s to Spring!
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 Hello stigma fighters! All of us at Active Minds hope that you are having a wonderful Winter quarter, surviving midterms, and ready to bear the horror of finals. With that said, let’s have a look back on some of the highlights of Fall! This year began with a wonderful welcome at the Enormous Activities Fair where we met so many wonderful new members, all of whom were greeted by Sapphire- everyone’s favorite member. Week 1 also saw the release of the Mind your Mind coloring book, all the proceeds of which went towards mental advocacy.  Another highlight the next month of the quarter- Dave Romano’s visit! This famed mental health activist spoke about suicide, self-injury, depression, and mental health issues concerning men and athletes. Overall, we enjoyed a very enlightening discussion on the place and effect mental health holds in his life and what inspired him to make history and bike across America for mental health. And of course he had time to meet Santiago. Also in November was our Dating and Depression panel. This panel gave students free reign to speak on the effect of depression in intimate relationships. As the first Speak Your Mind Panel of the year, this kicked off our commitment to allowing an open dialogue and multiple perspective on a topic so pertinent to the lives of college students. And of course, let’s not forget the Active Minds Conference in Sacramento that some of our directors had to pleasure of road tripping to in order to meet several of the other chapters from around the country and hear many more speakers share their views on mental health as it relates to different facets of life such as socioeconomic standing, race, gender, and age. A truly wonderful weekend and bonding experience for all attendees. This weekend also saw Sapphire rocket to social media stardom on the national Active Minds Instagram.  Another major bonding experience went down at retreat in Hacienda Heights! Not only did the entire crew almost see Fergie while living it up in their hometown, everyone enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing weekend getting to know some other stigma fighters, mental health allies, and good friends. Also fought off Jaws nbd. Fall was full of so many accomplishments and wonderful memories for Active Minds. Here is to many more in the New Year!  |
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