Hello to the Wilkes Campus Community! Happy New Year and Happy Spring Semester!
I hope you all had a good break! This message is for those who are not yet members of the Green Bandana Project but may have an interest in becoming part of this! (Members – there is other messaging coming to you on Wilkes Today and email soon)! But for now, for us all:
A new semester can be both exhilarating and STRESSFUL – we all need to be invested in our own self-care. YOU MATTER – YOUR MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS! And what helps if we feel we are struggling – the first thing is for any of us to SEEK HELP (like at our Counseling Center or at another local counseling or therapy service provider. WHERE DO WE ENCOURAGE GETTING HELP? Through campus messaging from Student Life (focus on wellness), and around select supports – including information obtained through members of THE GREEN BANDANA PROJECT! If you did not know but wondered “what are those green bandanas on backpacks all about”? This support initiative and the hope of our current members is to encourage those in our campus community to SEEK HELP when their mental health is in question. THE GREEN BANDANA PROJECT (GBP) as a campus support has the goal of promoting mental wellness amongst us all and to push back on stigma toward people with mental illness. Further, the GBP aims to provide the subtle but strong message around our presence – the multitude of green bandanas seen on campus is powerful and sends the message that no one is alone when struggling with mental health – others care!
What do members of the GBP have? Messaging cards with information – information directing anyone who may be struggling with mental health challenges to seek help! When you become a member, you get 5 cards linked to Wilkes resources around mental health and suicide prevention which you will share with others in the community who may be in need of help! These messaging cards are cross-linked to Student Life and the Counseling Center weblinks addressing wellness and mental health – and refer to our affiliation at Wilkes with the Green Bandana Project, a national initiative! As a member, YOU BECOME an important part of this mental health support – and of our “army of (MENTAL HEALTH) advocates”!
INFORMATION for sign up – Green Bandana Project TRAININGS for Spring 26:
DATES: Starting on January 27 then on February 5, then Feb 10, Feb 19, Feb 24 for first half of the spring semester in SLC 130 at 5 PM (for an hour) – GBP orientation and QPR suicide prevention training. See the attached QR code for signing up! Also, here is the Google Form link for sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScf4WazMS2bI1rXDohFvTa-oOE27AAuu4zrRiJFREbGTneKTA/viewform?usp=header