By Kandyce Hall |Staff Writer|
CSUSB hosted its first Mental Health Fair Wednesday May 8, 2013 in honor of mental health awareness month.
Active Minds, a recently chartered club on campus promoting mental health awareness, hosted the fair where students could take a break from their studying and learn about the mental health resources that are available to them on the campus and in the community.
“The fair was designed to make people more aware of mental health,” said Mimi Orozco, secretary of Active Minds. “Students should come and de-stress.”
Students who attended the fair had the choice of visiting the informational booths or taking part in the many interactive activities that were available.
The information booths featured companies such as the Community Crisis Response Team, Our House Homeless and Runaway Shelter, Community Wholeness and Enrichment and many more who work towards providing health awareness and services to the community.
Students had the opportunity to participate in activities such as yoga and mediation sessions, hangout with the PAWS therapy dogs and get henna tattoos.
Student organizations set up booths at the fair as well.
The Nursing Program set up many educational booths for students on health topics, such as sexual assault, healthy eating, hygiene and many more.
Their booths were located inside the event center as well as the lower commons where students had the opportunity to win prizes and learn healthy living tips.
Alpha Phi Sorority hosted a booth in honor of their philanthropy the Alpha Phi Foundation, which raises awareness about women’s heart health.
Students wrote words of encouragement on small paper hearts that could boost reader’s self-confidence.
Lobos Salchata Underground, a student-run organization on campus that provides free dance lessons and social events, invited students to stay healthy and active by participating in dance classes that are offered by the organization throughout the quarter.
Students were offered opportunities to color or create drawing through a process called Zentangle offered by the Psychological Counseling center. Zentangle is a form of abstract drawing using repetitive patterns.A student participant, Courtney Moran, shared her gratitude of having the health fair on campus as she colored a picture.
“I’m always interested in healthy things,” Moran said. “It’s great to have a place where health and wellness … is promoted.”
Students who attended the event were given a complimentary fruit cup provided by the Coyote Farmers Market.
Students were also entered into opportunity drawing to win a prize once they complete at least five of the fairs activities.
CSUSB Tools for Health, Reliance, Insight, Vital and Empowerment (T.H.R.I.V.E), a cosponsor of the fair, helps provide many programs that the CSUSB student body programs each quarter to help give students different tools to promote good mental health.
For more information contact Elaine Burkeholder at elaine@csusb.edu.
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