32 minute read
SHINE PROFILES
SHINE: HANNAH GODBOUT
AFTER YEARS OF PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH CARE TO AN ARRAY OF COMMUNITIES, SHE’S MADE BIG IMPACT IN COLLEGE MENTAL HEALTH—ESPECIALLY DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS.
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COVID-19 and mental illness: it’s been a twindemic, and it’s not over yet. Godbout, director of the Gustavus counseling center, believes “there’s a second wave coming.” of the Gustavus counseling center, believes “there’s a second wave coming.”
The mental toll from COVID-19 manifests di erently in everyone. Anxiety, grief, and The mental toll from COVID-19 manifests di erently in everyone. Anxiety, grief, and depression are just some of the commonly felt emotions. Therapists are trained to help people depression are just some of the commonly felt emotions. Therapists are trained to help people with trauma. They’re less prepared to help with global trauma, all while processing their with trauma. They’re less prepared to help with global trauma, all while processing their own emotions. “The majority of our o ce lost someone to COVID,” says Godbout, which own emotions. “The majority of our o ce lost someone to COVID,” says Godbout, which resulted in many counselors going through the same healing process as the students they resulted in many counselors going through the same healing process as the students they help. “It can be really beautiful and healing for us in some ways, and it can be kind of help. “It can be really beautiful and healing for us in some ways, and it can be kind of hard.” She encourages her counseling sta to take breaks, get outside, and see their own hard.” She encourages her counseling sta to take breaks, get outside, and see their own therapists. “You get support so that you can be of support.”
In addition to resilience and self care, providing therapy during the pandemic In addition to resilience and self care, providing therapy during the pandemic demanded fl exibility as the o ce pivoted to virtual appointments and added demanded fl exibility as the o ce pivoted to virtual appointments and added online resources. Fortunately, the counselors at Gustavus have experience with online resources. Fortunately, the counselors at Gustavus have experience with o ering new resources to meet the needs of students. In the past decade, o ering new resources to meet the needs of students. In the past decade, Godbout has spearheaded the creation of support groups and resources for Godbout has spearheaded the creation of support groups and resources for underrepresented Gusties, such as Queer and Questioning for LGBTQIA+ underrepresented Gusties, such as Queer and Questioning for LGBTQIA+ students and Mosiac Dialogue for BIPOC and international students.
“College students are in this signifi cant growth and change period of “College students are in this signifi cant growth and change period of their lives,” she says. “It’s a perfect time to catch someone who’s ready to their lives,” she says. “It’s a perfect time to catch someone who’s ready to make progress and give them a positive mental health experience they can carry for the rest of their lives.”
But the counseling center can’t do it alone. “We do the work with individuals, but then it’s also really important for all of us to do the systemic work that brings upstream change to our campus.” Whether it’s learning the correct language around mental health or supporting student accomodations, Godbout encourages everyone at Gustavus to play an active role in the mental wellbeing of Gustavus at Gustavus to play an active role in the mental wellbeing of Gustavus students. “We’ll never sta our way into being able to address all our needs. This can’t just be the work of the counseling center. It has to be everybody’s work.”
COMMUNITY
Support groups, drop-in sessions, workshops, online resources: the defi nition of therapy is growing. “We know from culturally sensitive research that not everyone is comfortable with therapy, feels safe in that individual interaction, or is willing to seek it out,” says Godbout. “You have to meet each student
where they’re at.”
SHINE: A. MARIE WALKER
THE GUSTAVUS PROFESSOR AND 2022 NOBEL CONFERENCE CO-CHAIR ON THIS YEAR’S CONFERENCE TOPIC, MENTAL HEALTH (IN)EQUITY IN YOUNG PEOPLE.
Mental health and development was a long-discussed choice for the subject of the 2022 Nobel Conference. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Walker knew the 2022 Nobel Conference. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Walker knew the topic had to confront today’s mental health crisis in adolescents and young people. topic had to confront today’s mental health crisis in adolescents and young people. “I watched my students’ lives turn upside-down,” she remembers. “Then “I watched my students’ lives turn upside-down,” she remembers. “Then
George Floyd was murdered. I was thinking a lot about the 17-year-old [Darnella George Floyd was murdered. I was thinking a lot about the 17-year-old [Darnella Frazier] who fi lmed him dying.” Walker and Nobel Conference co-chair, professor Frazier] who fi lmed him dying.” Walker and Nobel Conference co-chair, professor Angelique Dwyer, wanted the Nobel Conference to be a platform to present Angelique Dwyer, wanted the Nobel Conference to be a platform to present cutting-edge research on the mental health experiences of marginalized groups. cutting-edge research on the mental health experiences of marginalized groups. “We really wanted to be intentional about bringing in scholars who have “We really wanted to be intentional about bringing in scholars who have perspectives that haven’t been given enough emphasis,” Walker says. “Our panelists perspectives that haven’t been given enough emphasis,” Walker says. “Our panelists are the top up-and-coming researchers on how health inequity a ects specifi c are the top up-and-coming researchers on how health inequity a ects specifi c communities.” communities.” Walker is excited about all of the speakers invited to present, which span Walker is excited about all of the speakers invited to present, which span academic disciplines. “I think it’s a topic that anyone can relate to, in a way academic disciplines. “I think it’s a topic that anyone can relate to, in a way that ties into their own lives and what they’re seeing in the news,” she says. “In that ties into their own lives and what they’re seeing in the news,” she says. “In this crisis, it’s essential to acknowledge all experiences and not just say, ‘That’s this crisis, it’s essential to acknowledge all experiences and not just say, ‘That’s tough.’ It’s essential to a rm that many experiences are tougher than tough.” tough.’ It’s essential to a rm that many experiences are tougher than tough.” She’s also proud of her students’ contributions to the Conference. For a class project, Walker asked her students to research new areas in For a class project, Walker asked her students to research new areas in mental health and present on what factors of the mental health crisis they thought should be covered at Nobel Conference. Her students overwhelmingly reported social media, identity, and technology as essential topics. Walker has spent much of her academic career measuring the e ect of of of mental health on cognitive processing and identity. She hopes that attendees will take away a clear picture of the mental health crisis and the solutions experts are presenting. “Most of all, I know this is important because my students are telling me this is important. It’s their lived experience.” me this is important. It’s their lived experience.”
Current Gustavus seniors had only one and a half semesters of pre-COVID-19 collegiate experience before their lives were forever altered by the emotional strain of the pandemic. Future Gustavus students live with the same weight: Seven out of 10 high school graduates struggle with mental health. How will Gustavus serve them? See page 17.
SHINE: REGINA OLONO VIDALES ’22
FROM ZERO PUBLIC SPEAKING EXPERIENCE TO THE COMMENCEMENT PODIUM, SERVING ON STUDENT SENATE CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF VIDALES’ LIFE: “I FOUND A VOICE.”
“If you don’t speak up for what you want, it’s not going to happen. So you have to speak up for the things that you care about.”
When Vidales started at Gustavus, making her voice heard wasn’t something she was When Vidales started at Gustavus, making her voice heard wasn’t something she was known for. But over her four years, shyness gave way to a confi dence that made her known for. But over her four years, shyness gave way to a confi dence that made her Student Senate co-president, where she’s helped her classmates turn great ideas into Student Senate co-president, where she’s helped her classmates turn great ideas into visible change on campus. Compost bins in dorm rooms, gender-neutral housing in visible change on campus. Compost bins in dorm rooms, gender-neutral housing in Co-Ed, and new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion positions on Student Senate are just Co-Ed, and new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion positions on Student Senate are just some of the initiatives in which she takes pride.
She also takes pride in starting a Gustavus chapter of Ignite, a national organization She also takes pride in starting a Gustavus chapter of Ignite, a national organization that fosters political leadership in young women. Her goal in founding a new chapter that fosters political leadership in young women. Her goal in founding a new chapter was to help Gustie women students, especially women of color, prepare for taking was to help Gustie women students, especially women of color, prepare for taking charge in the workplace and running for o ce.
Her path to involvment started with several student organizations, including Her path to involvment started with several student organizations, including A Moment of Magic, the Diversity Leadership Council, Organization of Latin A Moment of Magic, the Diversity Leadership Council, Organization of Latin American Students, Students for Reproductive Freedom, and Model United American Students, Students for Reproductive Freedom, and Model United Nations. At a Model UN conference in Chicago she got her fi rst taste of public Nations. At a Model UN conference in Chicago she got her fi rst taste of public speaking: “I was so scared, but I went up and spoke for 30 seconds. Afterward, I speaking: “I was so scared, but I went up and spoke for 30 seconds. Afterward, I thought, ‘That wasn’t so bad!’”
Her sophomore year, Vidales became a class senator, where she learned to Her sophomore year, Vidales became a class senator, where she learned to make her voice heard to faculty and administrators and to listen to her fellow make her voice heard to faculty and administrators and to listen to her fellow Gusties. “They will come to you and hassle you until you listen. It’s our job to be receptive to them.”
The work hasn’t stopped since graduation, where Vidales delivered the commencement speech. She is now a Hennepin County associate organizer for commencement speech. She is now a Hennepin County associate organizer for Unidos MN, a political grassroots organization led by immigrants and centered Unidos MN, a political grassroots organization led by immigrants and centered around the Latinx community. She focuses on electoral work, Get Out the Vote, around the Latinx community. She focuses on electoral work, Get Out the Vote, and immigration reform. They are causes she feels strongly about, and thanks to and immigration reform. They are causes she feels strongly about, and thanks to her time at Gustavus, she has the skills—and the fi re— to keep making a di erence. her time at Gustavus, she has the skills—and the fi re— to keep making a di erence. “If Gusties are passionate about something, they will make their voices heard.” “If Gusties are passionate about something, they will make their voices heard.”
Vidales came to Gustavus as a pre-med student, but her plans changed after exploring several courses in political science. “It inspired me,” she says, and she majored in political science with minors in public health and peace, justice, and confl ict studies. “I saw that there was a structural “I saw that there was a structural
problem in our government, in our communities, that needed to be
solved. That’s when I started wanting to learn more, wanting to do more.” That’s when I started wanting to learn more, wanting to do more.”
How Are Our Young People?
This year’s Nobel Conference delves into the research and ethics surrounding adolescent mental health. It will address the disparities and their eff ects on youth, who often experience little control over their wellbeing and are at the mercy of the decisions of parents, schools, and society. The Conference will particularly emphasize identity, trauma, and technology. Join in as the world’s foremost experts examine the mental health issues of adolescents through the lenses of psychology, anthropology, education, communication, medicine, gender and sexuality, and public health. SEPT. 28–29, in-person or virtually, in real time or archived. gustavus.edu/nobel
How Are Our Young People?
—Brittany Berge ’22
—Cha Lee Yang ’22
They are not all right. In December
2021, the U.S. Surgeon General warned that the mental health of adolescents was in crisis. “Mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real and widespread,” said Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. “Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide—and rates have increased over the past decade.”
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC EXACERBATED THIS, dramatically altering all of our experiences at home, school, and in the community. For young people, this meant disruption and disconnect in relation to in-person schooling, in-person socialization with peers and mentors, access to health care and social services, and security in food, housing, and health of caregivers. The pandemic also drove an uptick in an already unprecedented and pervasive use of technology, including that double-edged sword of connection and comparison: social media. Those most heavily a ected? Those most vulnerable to begin with. That includes youth with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQIA+ youth, low-income youth, homeless youth, and youth in rural areas, immigrant households, and child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
The compound e ect on the mental health of adolescents has been devastating. The percentage of teens reporting “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” jumped from 26 percent to 37 percent between 2009 and 2019. In 2021, it was 44 percent. Growing up is hard. Growing up right now is even harder, particularly for young people on the margins. Here are voices of some of the Gusties working to understand, support, and uplift those between the ages of 16 and 22, as well as voices of recent grads. How we respond to their needs as a college, a state, and a society says a lot about how we see our future. Let us respond as we would have them respond—with grace, care, and courage.
allowing space
Khu Thao in the backyard of her suburban Twin Cities home.
—Wyatt Quering ’22
Our kids are resilient, says Khu Thao ’97, the new CEO of Canvas Health. Still, we need to continue to provide them with the support they need while giving them space to live their complexity.
INTERVIEWED BY SARAH ASP OLSON
Editor’s Note: Thao has a doctorate in psychology from Minnesota School of Professional Psychology, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota, and executive leadership certifi cation from University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. She is a recipient of a Bush Fellowship and a Title VI-E Welfare Fellowship. We spoke to her in June.
QUARTERLY: From your perspective as a practitioner and a parent to two adolescents—how are the kids?
THAO: I would say the kids are resilient, but the kids need support to continue to be resilient and to thrive. Our kids have had to go through COVID, social unrest, war, and lots of other social changes and challenges. They survived and they thrived. Our kids are resilient, but we need to continue to provide them with the support that they need in the evolving environment that they live in.
Why is it so important for children and adolescents to receive culturally sensitive and appropriate mental health services?
It makes such a big di erence, not just to the child, but for the entire family. For providers, before you can even start helping the child, you have to help the parents or guardians feel comfortable with who you are. If they don’t feel like their therapist or provider understands them, or has the capacity to invite diversity and di erences, they’re not going to come for services, and seeking and accepting services is one of the biggest barriers in healthcare.
As a person of color who is also a therapist, that’s been the biggest factor to success with clients, being able to be open to diversity, being fl exible to di erent cultures. That openness opens so many doors.
How can parents, caregivers, and policy makers support kids’ mental health?
Human beings are very complex; and that’s a little bit di erent from being complicated. When something is complicated, it means that you don’t understand it. If it’s complicated, with time, you can understand it, and then it’s no longer complicated. But when something is complex, it means that there are many things woven together. It’s this tangled ball of yarn. Adolescence is a complex time. The best way that I can describe the support adolescents need is “allow space”—for discovery, for some of this complexity to work itself out.
And, we have to listen. That’s the biggest thing—just listen. Ask them what part of that big, old, tangled ball of yarn they want to start with.
Do you feel hopeful about the future for our kids?
Even though we’ve gone through a lot, even though young people today have experienced things that we’ve never imagined and have never experienced before, there is just so much positivity with our adolescents. I need people to understand that this is our future, and they are so bright and resilient. And with some help and some support, and by listening to them, they will take us to places we’ve never imagined.
Thao’s senior photo, 1997
Origins of an Advocate
After graduating from Gustavus with majors in criminal justice and psychology, and leadership in the Asian Culture Club, Thao worked at a nonprofi t serving adolescent girls in the Hmong community. It was there she discovered a passion for social services, particularly for youth on the margins. One of the factors that’s driven Thao as a social worker, clinician, and executive is the desire to break down barriers around mental health and the social services she came up against while fi rst working in communities of color.
The nonprofi t Canvas Health began more than 50 years ago in Oakdale as a place to provide mental health services for vulnerable residents in that community. It has since grown to include eight locations plus direct care in clients’ homes, schools, and communities. Today it off ers a comprehensive menu of case management and therapy services to children, adolescents, and adults. It also provides school-based mental health services to students across the Twin Cities. The goal: help children, adolescents, adults, and families cope with mental illness, substance use, unstable housing, trauma, and abuse, bringing hope, healing, and recovery.
The Numbers
(some are from pre-COVID-19)
2.5 million
youth in the United States have severe depression (2022)
14.5% of youth who identifi ed as more than one race identify as depressed (2022)
60% of youth with severe depression do not receive any mental health treatment (2022)
4.62% of Minnesota’s youth had a substance use disorder in 2019, (up from 3.86% in 2018)
39% of college students nationally reported symptoms of depression in the previous two weeks (before COVID-19; up from 25 percent in 2015)
80% of college students nationally felt their emotional or mental diffi culties negatively impacted their academic performance (before COVID-19, up from 68 percent in 2015)
75% of lifetime cases of mental health illness begin by age 24 (2020)
health treatment (2022) youth had a substance use disorder in 2019, (up from 3.86% in 2018) nationally reported symptoms of depression in the previous two weeks (before COVID-19; up from 25 percent in 2015) nationally felt their emotional or mental diffi culties negatively impacted their academic performance (before COVID-19, up from 68 percent in 2015) mental health illness begin by age 24 (2020)
Data from KFF, Mental Health America, and The Healthy Minds Study
5Ways Gustavus Supports Current Student Mental Health Student Mental Health
THE COLLEGE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO THE INCREASED MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF CURRENT STUDENTS, WORKING TO REDUCE STIGMA AND OTHER ACCESS BARRIERS.
1 The Counseling Center is a free, confi dential service for all Gustavus students. The center’s seven professional counselors work alongside students to resolve personal, relational, social, and academic diffi culties. There are counselors who specialize in serving students of color. 2 Peer Assistants help their fellow students with stress management, chemical and mental health, relationships, and nutrition and fi tness. They hold offi ce hours for questions and conversations during the week as well as educational programs, awareness campaigns, and social activities. 3 Across campus, organizations engage in dialogue about mental health with events open to the community. For instance, Queer and Questioning welcomes students to support each other as they explore their gender and sexuality. Mosaic Dialog works with students of color and a therapist to explore and discuss their unique, challenging experiences and concerns. Using a culturallyaffi rming lens, both help students fi nd the resources they need to support their specifi c mental health needs. 4 For students experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression, Live to Learn is a free, self-guided online tool for identifying mental health issues and managing them in their lives. 5 Gusties will tell you that Gustavus is a community that cares. Students, faculty, and staff work hard to cultivate a culture where students are comfortable discussing their mental health and feel a sense of belonging.
—Laura Russell-Reyna ’11, mental health services director, Amongst Wildfl owers Creative
—Sarah Vanyo ’17, psychotherapist, River Ridge Recovery
Raising Peace
— Kerrie Urosevich ’91
—Sophia Martin ’23
Kerrie Urosevich in the Edwards Atrium of Anderson Hall. Kerrie Urosevich ’93 co-founded Ceeds of Peace, an organization focused on building peacebuilding leaders. For all of us, that means fostering our capacity for courage, compassion, and connection— among other life skills.
BY EMMA MYHRE ’19
She stands at the podium in Christ Chapel during the 2022 MAYDAY! Peace Conference. Before her are the many Gustavus young people who have su ered through an isolating global pandemic, the fi lmed murders of unarmed Black people by police, the onslaught of information (and misinformation) via social media, the destabilization of American and foreign governments, and a widening gulf between economic have and have-nots.
Kerrie Urosevich ’91 asks these questions: “Imagine the most peaceful and just family,” she says. “How do they communicate? How do they spend time together? How do they have fun together? What about a school? A community?”
This is Step One to a peaceful existence: Imagine that it can be better and that you have a role to play.
Urosevich is a liate faculty at the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Confl ict Resolution at the University of Hawai‘i, and a systems and policy builder with Hawai‘i’s Early Childhood Action Strategy. She co-founded the non-profi t Ceeds of Peace, dedicated to fostering individual and communitywide peacebuilding through workshops, community events, and other activities. It is based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Cofounder Maya Soetoro is also a professor at the Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Confl ict Resolution at the University of Hawai‘i, and a consultant for the Obama Foundation, founded by her brother, Barack Obama.
As a systems and policy builder, diplomat, and peace and confl ict resolution academic, Urosevich knows peace is an impactful practice, not an abstract idea. “Peace is not a state of being,” she says. And it is not simply the absence of su ering (which is not simple). “Peace is an action, and it’s intentional.” Intentionally acting toward peace is essential for improving mental health, individually and in our communities.
Peacebuilding, then, is a set of actionable skills to help alleviate the su ering in one’s self and others—ways people can work together to create better, healthier, stronger communities. Skills in peace improve everything from an individual’s understanding of themselves to global policy.
Like most peacebuilders, Urosevich champions localized solutions to macro issues, like the youth mental health crisis. “We know part of what drives the youth mental health crisis is a feeling of isolation, of otherness, and of helplessness,” Urosevich says. “Connection is an essential seed of peacebuilding. We have to create space to name it, normalize it, and give it time and space.”
Through Ceeds of Peace and as professors and educators, Urosevich and
Soetoro teach courses on negotiation skills, confl ict resolution, and the history of peace movements. Twelve years ago, they were inspired to start Ceeds of Peace by their college students. Many said they wished they had learned confl ict resolution and peacebuilding practices sooner.
Urosevich and Soetoro knew how essential these skills were for local communities to tackle large-scale issues, from inclusivity in schools to domestic abuse to land use issues. But to be e ective, they determined they had to work with the adults in their communities who were modeling behavior for younger people. “Students go to school and learn, ‘Do not hit,’
and learn to respond to anger in more positive ways,” Urosevich says. “But if they go home and are witnesses to violence or are victims of it from the adults in their lives, what do children do with that?” Urosevich says behavior like this ripples into the rest of our society and our systems.
Most of their workshops guide participants of all ages through the steps to create or build the community they envision—a family, workplace, or school system. This process has jumpstarted wraparound services and social/ emotional development programs in Hawai‘i elementary schools and across the globe. Recently, there’s been a sharp increase in male attendance.
The tools Ceeds of Peace uses in their workshops are based on the characteristics of infl uential peace leaders worldwide. Urosevich and Soetoro studied what qualities and skills made these peace leaders e ective and compelling. They identifi ed seven individual traits that create peacebuilding characteristics: courage, critical thinking, compassion, confl ict resolution, commitment, collaboration, and connection. Each “ceed” is a part of a network of characteristics that must be practiced together. “For example, if you practice courage without compassion, that can lead to destructive actions,” Urosevich explains.
Throughout her career, Urosevich has traveled worldwide to collaborate with leaders and implement the essential work of developing peacebuilders who will build a peaceful world. Last May, Urosevich and Soetoro traveled to Minnesota to be the keynote speakers for the annual MAYDAY! Peace Conference. Looking out at Gustavus students and the Gustavus community, they said, “Turn to your neighbor and discuss: What is your defi nition of peacebuilding?”
Excited whispers echoed through Christ Chapel.
—Kerrie Urosevich ’93
Urosevich in Lund in 1991
Origins of a Peacebuilder
Growing up in Nebraska, Urosevich’s extended family was active in a Serbian Orthodox Church, which often mixed politics and history with spiritual practices, especially during the Yugoslav Wars in the early 1990s. “My grandpa and I clashed over who we should dislike as Serbians, and he would share about Serbian history. Like in all wars, groups of people experienced trauma at the hands of ‘others’. Hatred of those ‘others’ can pass down through generations. I loved Papo to pieces, but I couldn’t hold that thinking. I had to unlearn parts of these narratives.” On the hill, she studied Japanese and played Gustavus volleyball, where she fi rst learned meditation and visualization techniques. In class, she studied the psychological motivation behind “othering”—defi ning a person with less societal power as a means to exclude and displace them from mainstream. Her fl uency in Japanese led her to a job in northern Japan, where she witnessed peacebuilding at work. She then earned a master’s degree in International Policy at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies as well as a PhD in political science with a specialization in confl ict resolution and systems design from the University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa.
—Jennifer Wedin Given ’15, mental health practitioner at a residential treatment facility
—Brendesha Tynes, Nobel Conference Presenter
—McKenna Patrow ’18, mental health therapist, Lakeville Behavioral Health
6Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health, and the Mental Health of Others
THESE ARE KERRIE UROSEVICH’S HOW-TO TOOLS. TRY THEM TODAY.
1 Find your joy. Identify activities that make you happy or help steady yourself, then do these activities every day. 2 Create reaction responses. “Confl ict just is,” Urosevich says. “It’s part of being human and it can actually be a catalyst for change.” How we respond makes all of the diff erence. Create a cheat sheet with responses for when you experience confl ict, like, “I appreciate you sharing this with me. May I take some time to think about what you’ve said?” Instead of getting fi red up during a confl ict, practice deep breathing, count from 10-1 in your mind, “go to the balcony” and observe the confl ict, or make notes about what you are hearing and emotionally engage later. 3 Create time and space to be with others. Our mental health is supported when we feel connected to others, especially without cell phones and distractions. 4 Practice active and second-tier listening. Active listening (nodding along, eye contact, smiling) tells a person you hear them. Second-tier listening is about facts and values—what you are being told, and the values that the other person holds. “The values tell you why the story is so important,” Urosevich says. 5 Be an “upstander.” When you see someone being mistreated, say something, get help, or gather with others to use your collective talents. “Being with a community, for a shared purpose, supports everyone’s mental health.” 6 Be a champion for children. “Every young person needs a champion,” she says. Be that champion. Reach out to your local schools, child care centers, and churches. Become a mentor through the Gustavus Mentor Program. Or simply champion a child in your own family and neighborhood. Spend time with, listen to, and celebrate them.
STUDENT AND RECENT GRADUATE VOICES in this feature are from the podcast series, COVID Unmasked: College Edition. Produced by students, it presents a glimpse into ways the pandemic aff ected Gustavus students from 2020 and 2022, touching on education, social life, mental health, and the unique experiences of people from underrepresented backgrounds. Find it on Spotify. ALUMNI VOICES are from those currently working at intersections of youth and mental health.
