What is the vision for a campus-based mental health group?

We want to create a safe space for students to meet on a regular basis for education and discussion of mental health related issues. Emphasis will be placed on fostering and maintaining a diversity of educational perspectives while encouraging personal participation. The group will also work to raise awareness of mental health problems at the University of Minnesota and advocate for social change to address them. We will consistently put “mental health” in the context of broader political-economic and cultural forces. The group is not intended to substitute for therapy, counseling or psychotropic medication.
 
What is the relationship between SDS and this group?

The mental health group will be an independent organization with its own constitution and mission statement that will gather outside normal SDS meetings. The affiliation is rooted in shared name and values, as well as express support for the broader political goals and movement work done by SDS on local and national levels. We will not be dependent on SDS proper for resources and our name will indicate our difference (e.g. SDS – -----)   

Why should SDS form a mental health group at the University of Minnesota?

In recent years, the University of Minnesota has witnessed a dramatic rise in student mental health problems. By providing a social service that addresses the issue, SDS will make a difference in the everyday lives of students who might not self-identify as “activists” and win broader support for our organization. We will also begin to tear down a major barrier to effective organizing on campus – the transient nature of our scene is hard enough, add depression, anxiety and drug abuse to the mix and students can be a very difficult lot to bring together for world-historic changing movements. Making real improvement in the life of our student body is a critical first step in gaining mass allegiance to our larger political programs.


The group can also serve SDS itself as a forum for organizers to address various pressures and gain peer support to deal in conscious, healthy ways with the stress in their lives. We expect to prevent at least some cases of activist burn-out that can lead some of our most committed and talented activists to leave the movement and never come back. 

How will this group be created?

    We will take a slow and deliberate approach toward building the organization. The first step will be to include a mental health zine and quarter-sheet fliers at SDS tables that describe the basic idea of the group and solicit support. The SDS Web site should also include this information. The aim for fall semester is to create a general interest in the project and find a core group of people who will dedicate their time, energy and skills to building the organization. The goal is to find a minimum of five people to carry the work forward.
    Spring semester will be spent developing the core group - learning facilitation skills, generating a mission statement and more generally getting on the same page about what we are doing and why we are doing it. We will continue outreach to find more people who want to volunteer in support of the project. Depending on the progress that is made on these fronts, we might organize a “coming out” public event or two around mental health issues.
    During the summer of 2008, we will take the steps necessary to formally become a student organization at the University of Minnesota. Fall 2008 will be focused on organizing open bi-weekly meetings and settling down into more routine functioning. We will also table, continue to host periodic public events and do those other tasks that student organizations do. The goal is to have a stable organization in place two years down the road, by the Fall of 2009.
    Throughout the entire process, we will lean on community support. There are a lot of people who care about this issue and are excited to help make this happen. We should be able to garner material support in the form of funding, assistance with meeting facilitation, publicity and otherwise from community allies on and off campus.    

 

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