The sun shined bright on McKeldin Mall on Oct. 10 as hundreds of students passed by booths at this year’s Self-Care Fair. The fair is part of the university’s Mental Health Awareness Week which strives to increase knowledge of campus mental health resources.
Leslie Krafft is a member of the steering committee of the Mental Health Coalition and runs the Self-Care Fair. According to Krafft, the fair was inspired by student mental health advocates who wanted to increase mental health resources and build a community.
“We strive to increase awareness of diverse campus resources, provide practical tools to help students practice good self-care, and build relationships between student organizations and departments who support good mental health and wellbeing across campus,” Krafft said.
The fair consisted of over 45 organizations providing information and activities such as crafts, giveaways and trivia. There was also an inflatable slide, lawn games and free popcorn.
Faith Comising is a junior computer science major and a founding member of the Petal Project, an on-campus organization that spreads awareness about relationship abuse within the college community.
“We thought that the focus of self-care and loving yourself was a perfect connection to our focus as a club,” Comising said.
The Petal Project, which started as a class project and is in its first year as a club, had students at their booth write affirmations for themselves to remind them that they deserve love and respect, according to Comising.
The Leadership & Community Service-Learning (LSCL) booth gave sticky notes to students to post their thoughts on a board and answer: “How do you feel when you serve others?”
Sophomore business marketing major Sisi Aridi stood behind the booth for LCSL. Aridi said the Self-Care Fair is important because it is a de-stressor and a good way for students to express themselves.
Izabell Stalnaker, a junior environmental science and technology major, was passing through McKeldin with her friend when she decided to stop by a few of the booths at the fair. Stalnaker said she liked how the fair advocated for ways to promote self-care and connected students with mental health organizations.
“College students are undergoing some of the most stressful years of their lives, just with the change in environment and academics and work and other life factors that they probably don’t take enough time to account for their mental health,” Stalnaker said. “I think just promoting it and reminding students that it’s there and that there are resources there for them is one step.”
The Self-Care Fair opened a gateway to a community for college students to engage with their peers and dedicate time to mental health.
“If you look around you see all of these people who are talking to each other, meeting new people and I feel like that’s also a wonderful thing to have when you’re a college student,” Comising said.