mental health

The Value of Our Rainbow and Camrose Pride Week

Trigger Warning: Depression and suicide

BY: NATALIA MCGILL

With recent talk of depression, suicide attempts, and #BellLetsTalk all over social media, I just want to say to my fellow LGBTQIA+ community members: I love you and I support you. You are all beautiful human beings bursting with light, and you are all worth something to me and to the community members who share this space with you. We celebrate your diversity, your strengths, your weaknesses, your successes, and your downfalls. You are welcome here and I invite anyone who needs support to reach out to me or to the fellow community members.

This is not an easy time for a lot of people. Winter depression is difficult, school is exhausting, and balancing everything on top of struggling to find self-love is even more difficult – especially for a lot of people in our community who have spent years (and may still have years ahead of them) trying to search for or come to terms with an identity. My heart goes out to anyone facing these challenges, and I offer a listening ear and some other resources.

To talk to me and email me at nemcgill@ualberta.ca

To talk to a counsellor or psychologist in Camrose. Contact our Nurse Navigator at 780.679.1160 or see her in 2-144.
To talk to a counsellor on campus at 780.679.1511 or email augustana.counselling@ualberta.ca.
To reach out beyond the school, contact Camrose Primary Care Network at 780.608.4927.

With Camrose Pride Week coming up at the end of the month, I would like to remind our Augustana students that you don’t have to agree with what you see but you do have to respect it. I would like to remind our sexually diverse Augustana students that just because Pride Week is happening doesn’t mean you have to be – it’s okay to be yourself quietly. And finally, I would like to remind those who are OUT and abOUT (you know) to be loud and proud all week and forever long – but do not try to pressure others to do the same.

Now, where are those rainbow roses at?!

Upcoming LGBTQ+ Events in Camrose:

Camrose Pride Week
Feb. 24 – March
So You Think You Can Drag, EsspressOUT, Tie Dying, Trivia, Panels and Talks, Queer Youth Art Show, open mic and paint night, and so much more! Check out Camrose Pride’s Facebook for more info!

Pride Week Schedule

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LGBTQ+ & Ally Symposium
March 23, 2019
Augustana Campus

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Events in Edmonton this month:

Edmonton Pride Centre
Check out their calendar for drop ins, yoga, activities, and other events.

 

Wellness Week Tackles Mental Health Awareness

BY KIRANDEEP SINGH

Each semester, the Augustana Students’ Association (ASA) hosts a week long event referred to as Wellness Week. The goal is to improve the mental health of students and help them destress at the end of the busy semester. Wellness Week is extremely important as it helps students take some time to wind down with the stress of final exams approaching. This year, Wellness Week was run by Alex Ho, the VP of Communications on the ASA.
The ASA advertised Wellness Week through posters, email newsletters, and through the Facebook event page. Students were encouraged to participate and get involved.
Over the week, all sorts of different events took place. Students had the opportunity to grab food and drinks on various days throughout the week. There were fruits, a salad bar, snacks, Norwegian breakfast, and Booster Juice! Volunteers helped hand out the goodies the best they could even though they went quickly.
Events to help students manage adult life also took place. A financial blueprint program helped students manage money and work on budgeting their finances. Other benefits promoted self-care, such as free admission to the Fitness Centre for the whole week.
Practices designed to calm and ease like beading, knitting, and a dog walk also took place. Although there were not many participants for these practices, the people who joined were concentrated and learned new skills that can be forms of peaceful meditation.
The University of Alberta also promotes an app called WellTrack that uses interactive self-help therapy to help students with their mental health. A person needs to sign in with their school email to get full access. The app offers mood assessments, modules to help students get through their mental health issues, and guides students to resources that are available at Augustana or in Camrose where they can seek help. The app is available on the App Store and on Google Play.

UNITea an Option for Students to Find Support, Resources in Comfortable Spaces

BY MEGHAN JOBSON

Unitea is a program on campus that encourages conversation between peers. The idea isn’t to treat it as a peer support network, but to encourage students to simply talk to one another if they need it. The hosts have resources to direct students to that will help them understand where they can go for help. This program isn’t intended to be a form of counselling or therapy, but it can help students get on the right track to explore their options. If you would like to sign up for a tea time to visit with a host, you can sign up online here.Â