"I believe in a sound mind, a sound body, and a spirit that it not afraid."
Active Minds at Auburn has adopted this line of the creed as a sort of mission statement for what they want to bring to Auburn's campus.
Active Minds is a group at colleges all across the country.
Their goal is to talk about mental health awareness and promote conversation. They are not a counseling service, but want to make a difference in the way students feel about mental health, and to let them know they are not alone.
Kyle Marchuk, junior in marketing, started the chapter at Auburn.
The organization impacts him on a personal level. A few years ago, one of his childhood friends committed suicide, succumbing to the pressures that college brought.
"(Keller) suffered from a well-masked depression that he did not reach out to anyone about," Marchuk said. "From that, he found his only 'escape' and it devastated my friends and community."
Ever since then, he saw the need to reach out and bring awareness of mental health to college students.
As president, Marchuk helps the chapter maintain focus on the objectives the group sets each year. He works as the chapter's representative, as well as an officer of outreach.
Sylvia Kim, senior in biomedical sciences, is the secretary of Active Minds at Auburn.
Recently, Kim has started a blog to promote joy and well being to those who need it: activemindsau.com.
"Each Wednesday, we will post a new blog, whether it be an inspirational story, funny video, poem or anything that will get students thinking while adding joy into the world," Kim said.
In the blog, statistics are shared from healthline.com.
One in four college students suffer from mental illness, including depression.
Depression is the number one reason students drop out of school. Seventy-five percent of college students do not seek help for mental health problems.
"Our hope is that this blog will be a resource to those hurting, who are curious, and those who just want a laugh," Kim said.
Alex Hall, sophomore in psychology, is the vice president of the group.
"Mental health has acquired a stigma that it doesn't really deserve," Hall said. "We strive to spread awareness about mental health and lower the stigma through using our student voices."
The group stresses that they are not a counseling center, but they provide necessary information and show students what resources are available to them.
"The mission of Active Minds Inc. is to utilize the student voice to change the conversation surrounding mental health," Marchuk said. "And that is what we intend to do here on Auburn's campus."
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