Students beat winter blues at SUB carnival
Dal hosted Mental Health Awareness Week from Jan 19 to 23
Blue Monday — a nickname for the third Monday of January — is known as the most depressing day of the year, but Dalhousie University students beat the winter blues with the Happy Day Carnival, held a day later at the Student Union Building on Jan. 20.
“I wanted to bring some happiness to campus and use the opportunity for students to learn more about some of the mental health services and supports,” said Jonnie-Lyn Baron, Dalhousie’s student health promotion manager and the organizer of Dalhousie’s Mental Health Awareness Week.
Dalhousie Student Health and Wellness hosted the mental health week from Jan. 19 to 23 in collaboration with several student organizations.
Students who followed a trail of colourful signs and props in the SUB were rewarded with a bouncy castle, cartoonist, rock painting and free snacks. The carnival also featured games, including mini basketball hoops, axe-throwing and golf simulators.
“It could be a nice break for people to step away from class, and it’s nice that it’s on campus,” says Heather Wardlaw, a fourth-year anthropology student. “You can come here between classes, and it’s just like a nice little fun thing to do.”
In the middle of the carnival, students could visit booths promoting mental health resources, including 24/7 counselling services, peer support, financial and nutrition guidance, legal aid and more.
The carnival was just one part of Mental Health Week. Other activities included a mental health awareness run with the Dal Run Club, build-a-terrarium night and tours of the Dalplex.
Anna Michelin is a fourth-year sociology student and the president of the Happy Human Project, a student organization dedicated to helping students find a sense of belonging through events and peer-support initiatives.
“Mental Health Awareness Week is super important,” says Michelin. “Not only is it giving a chance for students to blow off steam and have some fun, but it’s also opening up the different resources we have at the university.”
She says the Happy Day Carnival showcases the mental health support available to students in one location.
Many students, including Abdulrahman Ali, a first-year engineering student, weren’t aware of the event until they walked into the SUB and saw the carnival decorations.
“I didn’t hear about it until today, when I saw them setting up things,” says Ali, adding that the Jan. 20 event could have been promoted better. Still, Ali says the university does a good job raising awareness for and supporting student mental health.
“It’s always mental health over anything — over studies, over all.”
Dalhousie offers mental health resources to students, such as same-day counselling and group wellness sessions, through the Student Health and Wellness Centre. Michelin says these resources are “really helpful” for students.
“If a student doesn’t really know where to go, they can go [to the centre] first,” she says. “That’s a first point of contact to figure out what might be best for them.”
