Active Minds hosts 5K run
Active Minds, a University of Indianapolis registered student organization dedicated to mental illness education, sponsored the first Stomp Out Stigma 5K run on April 2 at noon. Admission to the event was $20, with proceeds benefitting Active Minds to help fund programs to increase public awareness of depression and other mental health issues.
Alicia Simle, UIndy graduate student and Active Minds vice president said the organization also seeks to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
Active Minds is a national organization focused on advocacy for individuals who struggle with mental illnesses and on education about mental health to the larger community, according to UIndy graduate student and Active Minds chapter president Melissa Richey.
Before attending UIndy for graduate school, Richey was familiar with the organization. When she discovered UIndy didn’t have an Active Minds chapter, she decided to found one.
“With the undergraduate population age range, most students here are probably 18-24 years old. That age range is the age where a lot of mental disorders have their onset,” Simle said. “A lot of people at this time may be starting to first experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, or whatever it is. It’s so important to have that awareness and for the students to understand and recognize what the symptoms are, so they can be treated.”
According to Richey, the 5K is an event that the national chapter of Active Minds strongly encourages members to participate in. Although the UIndy chapter is new, Richey felt the challenge would be beneficial.
Active Minds brought attention to the Stomp Out Stigma 5K by giving participants a brightly colored shirt to run or walk in. Simle said mental health is an important subject for all students to know about and the more people who are aware, the better.
“It’s our first year, so we’re really hoping to get our name out there. A lot of students aren’t aware that Active Minds is an organization on campus. And if people show up and show their support, that says a lot,” Simle said. “The fact that we wore bright colored T-shirts and ran around campus got us noticed and hopefully students will now ask questions and get involved.”
According to Simle, the graduate students are trying to pass on the legacy of Active Minds to the undergraduate students as a way of extending the message about mental health issues.
Simle said that any student who is interested can get involved with Active Minds by attending meetings.
“For any student majoring in psychology, sociology or social work, this [Active Minds] is such an important thing for that, and it really looks good if you’re looking to grad school,” Simle said.
According to Simle, most students at UIndy know someone who has struggled with depression. She stressed that involvement in something such as Active Minds can be meaningful because it allows people to have the support they need for their mental health issues.
“We’re trying to get people on campus to talk about it [mental health], be open about it and really understand it,” Simle said. “So that if a time comes when they need to seek help or someone they know needs to seek help, then they can do that.”
