Fourth-year Brock University student Olivia Corbett.
Ever since Brock University student Olivia Corbett was eight years old, she has struggled with anxiety and panic attacks.
“Some days you can’t relax or function in your daily routine. It’s completely and totally isolating, and feeling that alone can make the struggle to get better even worse,” said Corbett, a fourth-year Concurrent Education student.
No one knows the mental health struggles students experience better than students themselves.
“For me, the biggest influence in maintaining my mental health has been educating myself on what it is and ways I can work to cope with my own mental illness,” Corbett said.
That’s why Corbett and her classmates in the fourth-year Faculty of Education course EDUC 4P46 are hosting a mental health awareness event Tuesday, Dec. 1 as part of Wellness Week.
“The students in EDUC 4P46 wanted to use some of what they learned in the course to help the Brock University community become, and stay, well,” said Assistant Professor Michael Savage, who teaches the class. “They all came together and organized this event. I could not be prouder of them for taking this initiative.”
Taking place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside Skybar in the Brock University Students’ Union building, the event will include crafts, meditation, yoga, a mental health resource booth and a place where students can share their stories.
“These illnesses are very real for those who experience them, and through our event we hope to show our community that recovery is a very real possibility,” says Corbett. “We hope we can educate not only those who are struggling with mental illness, but also those who may not fully understand what mental health is.”
Brock students, faculty and staff are invited to stop by the event to learn more about mental health issues and take part in some of the activities planned.
