Wed. Dec. 16, the SMHS Pony Express posted a survey asking students to share their current mental state. Many students responded that they feel tired, unmotivated, and depressed due to the social constraints the 2020 pandemic has posed. In previous years, the Bring Change to Mind (BC2M) club helped destigmatize mental health and has given students a safe place to open up. This year more than ever, Senior Gracie Enslin, now president of BC2M, encourages her classmates to join.
“Our club is a safe space for anyone who wants to join,” Enslin said. “All of our members are great people who want to help make a difference on campus.”
Enslin describes how in a typical meeting, club members discuss how they can plan upcoming events, use their club funds, and most importantly, their mental health. Some club meetings also involve self-care and team-building activities.
“It’s an open place for all of us in the club to discuss our mental health,” Enslin said. “Just this week we did a self-love activity, where our club members wrote to their future selves letters of encouragement or congrats to be read anytime throughout finals week for some extra support.”
Like many other clubs at San Marin, Enslin explains how COVID-19 has put a damper on the excitement in meetings and limited the personal connections between members.
“On-campus it is much easier to reach our student body and have that face to face community feeling that comes with it,” Enslin said.
Regardless, Enslin remains positive and describes how even though members cannot do the little things like sharing homemade cookies and chatting side by side, there are still plenty of virtual activities.
“We just want everyone on campus and in our community to know that there are always people who care and that they aren’t alone when it comes to anxiety, depression, etc. and that it’s always okay to talk about it,” Enslin said.
The Bring Change to Mind club at San Marin works to destigmatize discussions around mental health and invites students to connect with each other on difficult topics. BC2M, “brings awareness to an often socially neglected group of people,” club member Cameron Sims said.
