In order to spread awareness about mental health, West Chester University students will participate in Take a Mental Health Day 2015 on Thursday, Sept. 10. Designed to be an “upbeat, positive, and interactive day for students,” this campus-wide event is sponsored by the College of Health Sciences, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Mental Health Awareness Committee, and funded by a University Forum Grant.
The event will kick off at 11 a.m. with a free picnic on the quad, which will include a speaker and several surprise activities. Following the picnic, Active Minds national speakers Stacy Pershall and Kai Roberts will each host a workshop.
Pershall will give her presentation on cyber bullying, eating disorders, mental health activism, and body modification from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Sykes Student Union. Roberts will deliver his interactive performance “Active Mic: Mental Heal through Music” from 3 to 4 p.m. in Sykes Student Union.
Take a Mental Health Day 2015 will end with a presentation called “Music, Mood Swings and Madness” by Dr. Richard Kogan. This is free to students and staff, and it will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Asplundh Concert Hall. During this performance, Dr. Kogan “tells vivid stories about famous composers who suffered mental problems—frequent among creative people—while illustrating the composer’s work by exquisitely playing excerpts from their compositions.”
For more information, you can visit wcupa.edu/MentalHealthDay.