Welcome to the 2015 Committed series!
Committed is an e-series started by Sue Caulfield and Kristen Abell in 2014 to highlight mental illness in student affairs. We know that a number of our colleagues are affected by mental illness – their own or a loved one’s – and we want to make the field aware of this and find ways to end the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Last year, many of us shared our stories of how we’re affected by mental illness in blog posts illustrated by Sue and shared on the Student Affairs Collective blog.
We’re looking to go even bigger and better than last year’s series, and we’ve included some of our committed tweeters and pinners in helping us do that. Here is this year’s Committed committee (say that five times fast):
This year, we are using the theme “This is What Mental Illness Looks Like” to share more about the importance of stomping out stigma. In this theme, we are looking for visual contributions in addition to written ones – this can include, but is not limited to, photographs, illustrations, videos, vlogs, and written blogs. We’ll be highlighting four sub-themes throughout the month:
- Throughout the lifespan
- Loved ones
- At work
- Myself
Each week will feature one of these sub-themes, and we will be doing our best to show folks what mental illness looks like in regards to each of these areas. We truly believe that one of the best ways to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental illness is to help those who are not affected by it to better understand it.
We will also be sharing some ways that you can help to end stigma – both online and on your campuses. Look for those tools throughout the month of May.
We’re looking forward to committing to ending the stigma around mental illness with you.
Sincerely,
The Committed Committee
