ACTIVE MINDS AT UCI
Changing the conversation about mental health.
ACTIVE MINDS AT UCI AT A GLANCE
A Bit of Background
Active Minds at UCI is a student organization at the University of California, Irvine that supports emotional wellness by increasing awareness about mental health issues, promoting access to campus helping services, and planning campus events centered around mental health education. Here at UCI, we operate under the Center for Student Wellness and Health Promotion, where student wellness is prioritized and promoted. Active Minds is national organization founded in 2001 by Alison Malmon, then a junior at the University of Pennsylvania, following the suicide of her older brother, Brian, one year earlier. Brian, also a college student, had been experiencing depression and psychosis for three years but had concealed his symptoms from everyone around him. We are now one chapter in a network of over 450 chapters on campuses and Active Minds is the only student organization working to utilize the student voice to change the conversation about mental health on college campuses.
You can learn more about the national organization here.
ACTIVITIES
Making A Difference
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Walks, fundraisers, and outreach events are coordinated with local and national mental health organizations to support mental health resources and education within our communities.
SPREADING AWARENESS
Through tabling events, weekly meetings, and collaborations with on-campus and off-campus organizations, we strive to bring mental health awareness and stigma reduction to students and staff at UCI. Activities centered around self-care and wellness are promoted at each of these events.
STIGMA FIGHTERS
We believe that stigma reduction through changing how we talk and perceive mental health is key to awareness. As advocates for mental health awareness and education, we fight against stigma and try to change this conversation.
“When 'I' becomes 'We,' even 'illness' becomes 'wellness'”