Flags fill the Administration lawn in honor of Mental Health Wellness Week
On a frosted Administration lawn, 1,100 bright yellow flags brave the chill of November, each with the words “Campus Suicide Prevention” written across them in bold black letters.
“In the United States, 1,100 college students die by suicide every year,” said Kayla Burke, the University of Idaho suicide prevention coordinator.
Ian Barlett | Argonaut
According to UI Campus Suicide Prevention Center Coordinator Kayla Burke 1,100 college students die by suicide each year across the nation. From Nov. 10-15, Mental Health Wellness Week, 1,100 flags were staked in the Administration Building lawn to represent the deaths — the setup was deemed “Field of Memories.”
The flags staked in the Administration lawn by members of the Suicide Prevention Program on campus also carry individual messages from students. Some messages are from those who have lost loved ones to suicide, while others are words of encouragement from concerned peers. Regardless of the content of the message, Burke said each one serves the same purpose — to honor the lives which were lost too soon.
“We call it the Field of Memories,” she said. “We had students write messages on the flags to someone who has died by suicide, but there are also messages of hope for those struggling with anxiety or depression.”
The Field of Memories is one of the many activities put on by the Suicide Prevention Program in order to raise the awareness of mental health issues on campus for Mental Health Wellness Week, which takes place annually every November.
Additional activities include a “Hot Chocolate for Mental Health” table, a collaborative event between the Suicide Prevention Program and ASUI representatives and a speech wall displayed in the TLC.
Krysti Deines and Donna Johnson were two of the four peer educators who developed the speech wall. They said the wall is an excellent resource for receiving information about mental health on campus as well as learning about the different avenues of assistance that are available.
“The speech wall is where a lot of support information can be found,” Johnson said. “We’re trying use this week to inform students on campus and also to spread awareness and let them know that we’re here and that we care.”
Ian Barlett | Argonaut
Deines said while the week is a great way to get people talking about suicide prevention, the biggest challenge involved with encouraging others to seek help is the strong stigma against mental illness.
“So many students are afraid to go to the Counseling and Testing Center,” Deines said. “I think a big part of this week is to talk about how common mental illness is on campus and in the community too.”
Additionally, Burke said there’s also a stigma of the high stress and chaos of college life that leaves students vulnerable to suppressing other associated emotions.
“There is definitely a huge stigma associated with mental illness but a lot of times people think that any negative emotions at all are also bad and should be ignored,” Burke said. “Students are so busy that it becomes especially easy to push those feelings aside and not recognize them.”
Through Mental Health Wellness Week, the Suicide Prevention Program hopes to begin the process of breaking the trend.
“I think the best thing to do is to continue to promote the idea that it’s not uncommon to deal with stress or anxiety, and that there is help on campus,” Deines said.
Johnson said it is also important to inform students of the full range of services provided by the UI Counseling and Testing Center, which boasts individual counseling, crisis intervention for individuals or loved ones, consultation and outreach and stress and anxiety management courses.
“The most important part of this week is to make sure that our students know that the Counseling and Testing Center is here for them,” Burke said. “That no one ever needs to be afraid to reach out for help because harboring mental illness or stress or anxiety — that’s a hard burden to carry, and we don’t want them to carry that burden all on their own.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]