As the school year enters into the fall season and the level of academic coursework inevitably increases, it is normal for students to express concerns about mental health. With academics oftentimes being mentally and physically draining, these student organizations on campus can provide a unique outlet for students to grow their confidence in coping through these challenges.
Mind Guru
Photo by Kailah Cortez (Kailah Cortez)
Mind Guru is one such club that is dedicated towards spreading awareness of mental health issues through inspirational social media posts and educational club meetings on campus.
“When you come, we play a little game and you get candy or something small … to kick off the meeting,” founder and president Krisha Basu said. “We either talk about a topic that interests people or have people talk about something that they think is important for us to discuss or to get out there.”
Basu explains the club’s future commitment to fundraise and donate towards a mental health organization.
“In Irvine itself, we do not have a lot [of organizations], but there are a lot in Santa Ana and Anaheim. Hopefully we [can] get enough fundraise money to give a big donation to one of those organizations,” says Basu.
Art Towards Positivity
Art Towards Positivity combines fun, stress-relieving art projects with opportunities for community service hours. They hope to bring mental wellness to other communities outside of Irvine as well.
“We’re thinking of working with Santa Ana,” says president and founder Doris Wang. “We’re thinking of maybe putting up posters in the local libraries to let children know that they can access free art classes that we can provide for.”
Her passion for art and community was what inspired Wang to create the club.
“Drawing is my favorite hobby. And I wanted to start a club, but I didn’t know how to. And then sophomore year I got to know how to like make a club. So I started with an art club, but then later I provided more service hours for other people, so they would actually join … I wanted to promote positivity as well,” says Wang.
Positivitea
The Positivitea club prioritizes building in time for fun and creativity in the midst of a stressful school environment.
“This will be my second year helping them…I just help manage a little bit, but it’s mostly run by the girls,” says club advisor Tracy Walla.
The club serves to provide a small break during the school day to de-stress and engage in non-school related activities in a casual and judgment-free environment.
“They usually have some kind of snack and tea to share with the members or the club participants and then some kind of activity like a craft or building something to share to others and to help kind of share that positive vibe through the campus,” says Walla.
When feeling overwhelmed, these clubs are a perfect choice for having a comfortable environment to share and learn about mental health issues and topics, or just needing a trusted adult or friend to talk to.
