(Photo credit: Activeminds2021, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license)

In the stigmatized world of mental health, a group of students has banded together on campus to break the stigma, create healthy practices and make students feel valued. This group of students is called the Active Minds club.

Active Minds is a national organization, and the JCCC chapter does the most out of any other junior college or university, according to Michell Benjamin, the advisor of the club. Benjamin was brought to JCCC after the JED Foundation awarded JCCC with a grant, following the results of the campus-wide Healthy Minds Survey.

“We also have a few things that we’re trying to do on campus to just make it a more inclusive and supportive place for people with mental health issues,” Izak Zeller, President of the Active Minds club, said.

Active Minds offers resources to students through tabling events. These resources are for mental health, drug and alcohol awareness. While the club is active on campus, it is also very active in the community. NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) and Charlie Health, which is an online counseling service, often partner with Active Minds. Currently, the club is working with SevenDays for the “Seven Days of Kindness” campaign.

“I hope to see next year that everybody goes to advocacy day and speaks on mental health,” Benjamin said. “You just sign up, student activities has a van, and we all drive up to Topeka.”

Students who want to attend Advocacy Day can sign up through the state website. Many different Advocacy Days take place throughout the year, usually taking place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and lunch is provided.

“You don’t have to be with an organization at all, but I think it would be great to have JCCC Active Minds and whoever else wants to go to be an advocate,” Benjamin said.

Active Minds meets on Tuesdays, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. They are always hoping to see new members come through the door at meetings. To learn more about the Healthy Minds Survey and why Active Minds exists at JCCC, take a look at our deep look into the survey.