Project Updates:

For the past two years, State of Mine, a youth-oriented, non-profit behavioral advocacy organization based in New Mexico, has directed a mental health awareness campaign for institutions of higher education. Faculty forums, created in collaboration with the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, and Parents for Behaviorally Different Children Advocacy Organization, were designed as a “crash course” in helping educators assist students with mental illnesses —a topic that is rarely discussed at colleges and universities, and for which almost no training or dialogue is offered. The faculty forums, held once every semester, were extremely successful, as demonstrated by the 45 individuals who attended the first one-hour forum. Presenters have included college students living with a mental illness, staff members from the special services department, trainers in psycho-social rehabilitation and recovery principles, and legal counsel on disability-rights law. In addition, awareness workshops were conducted to help individuals understand what it is like to live with a mental illness.

“I see two major issues: educating the students about the resources that are available to them, and educating the faculty that mental illness is not a matter of choice or convenience. It is a very real hurdle that we should be helping our students overcome,” said Rich Calabro, Associate Dean of the Math, Science and Engineering Division at the Central New Mexico Community College. In addition to the faculty forums, college students participated in the awareness campaign through State of Mine’s Behavioral Health Awareness Competition. Through the competition, students produced public service announcements that were shown on campus TV stations and created billboard announcements that were posted across campus. Corporate support enabled State of Mine to award prizes for the competition. As a result of these initiatives, significant changes have taken place at the college. A special services committee was formed to help better address the needs of students with mental illnesses; professors were working harder to assist students; and students were becoming more aware of mental illness on campus and how to help their friends.