On October 10, 2023, Mental Health Day was celebrated worldwide. It is a day to acknowledge the everyday mental health struggles we all go through as individuals. These struggles, one of the most common being anxiety and one of the most severe being depression, are often overlooked. On this day, however, these struggles are appropriately acknowledged in talking points, and the people who suffer from them are encouraged to seek help.
The American University of Nigeria (AUN) community also marked Mental Health Day. Though the internationally recognized day was on the 10th, AUN had its events to commemorate the day on the 13th and 14th of October. The first was a seminar organized by the Mental Health Ambassadors– a group of students whose mission is to highlight and prevent the mental health dilemmas that students often go through. The second event was a game night organized by the Student Government Association (SGA) in collaboration with the Mental Health Ambassadors. The event aimed to create a relaxing environment for students to let loose and take the weight of academic pressure off their shoulders. Students were thrilled with the concept of the game night. Ms. Tirzah, a second-year student and an SGA representative, had nothing but praise for the event. She said, "In my opinion, the event's main objective was to provide students of AUN with a fun experience through the use of board games to boost our mental health. It promoted social relations for students to catch on to what they missed from their friends and also helped relieve stress from school work."
She also highlighted AUN's efforts to boost the mental health of students, adding, "In previous and recent times, AUN has helped in countering the issues on mental health by organizing seminars, conferences and fun activities for students to help in raising awareness on the issue and in helping those who suffer from it, to be relieved of it. AUN also has a club called the Mental Health Ambassadors which comprises of students and staff who help in raising awareness and talking to students concerning their mental health. I believe AUN has done a great deal by enforcing all of this forces to countering mental health issues."
The past week was fruitful in making students feel understood, acknowledged, and heard in correspondence to the mental health issues students often face. It demonstrated AUN's student-centered mindset that is responsible for its renowned learning structure and environment.
Reported by Kamsi Maria Dan-Okereke
Natural & Environmental Sciences Dept., Work-Study Student at the Marketing & Communications Dept.