Report of mental health awareness activity – Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous Bangalore

Report on the Public Mental Health Awareness initiative on the Occasion of Golden Jubilee Celebrations
JyotiNivas College Autonomous
Bangalore

Department of Psychology for BVoc

Date: 12/08/2015
Time: 9 am to 4 pm
Venue: JyotiNivas College Autonomous

The Department of Psychology for BVoc, JyotiNivas College Autonomous, in association with the Positive Psychology Unit of the Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), put up two stalls on the occasion of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of JyotiNivas College Autonomous. Both the stalls together has around 300 visitors including students, parents, professionals, and teachers. A total of ten volunteer students (from psychology, science, commerce and vocational courses backgrounds) put up the stalls from 9 am to 4 pm on Mental Health awareness. The stalls were decorated with the theme colour, blue.

Posters were used to convey the importance of Mental Health and Well-Being among the visitors. The feedback record states that posters caused a great impact; they were precise regarding the message and the elements used to convey it.
Around 250 participants responded to the WHO-5 Well-being Index. The scoring was done immediately and a feedback was given to the respondents. The aim of discussing the score was not to diagnose, but to discuss the information in a constructive and a non-judgmental manner. The participant was invited to comment on the finding and reflect on the need of help.
To raise the public awareness in road safety and promote the road safety vision of “Zero Accidents on the Road” along with increasing well-being, an initiation was introduced during the event. Each visitor was requested to take an Oath about road safety and Well Being. It involved reading the oath statement by the participant and signing on the oath signature chart. More than 180 signatures were taken from both the stalls.
A number of pamphlets were distributed to create an awareness related to mental health among the visitors.
A unique activity pertaining to the themes of gratitude and apology was initiated. The aim of this initiative was to help the participants to ease their mental burden or express gratitude. They were requested to think of anyone they feel they could express a sorry or a thank you, and have not had an opportunity to convey the same. Some of the participants expressed that this initiative was particularly helpful in reducing their stress and generating a positive state of mind.
The participants were well taken care off by the volunteers, who displayed a warmth and hospitality and worked with an aim to spread awareness about mental health and well-being.

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