HADLEY, Mass. - NESCAC SAAC (Student Advisory Committee on Athletics) and CoSAoC (Coalition of Student-Athletes of Color) led its annual conference-wide #NESCACares Mental Health Awareness campaign on Dec. 4-6. The initiative was aimed at raising mental health awareness, stopping the stigma surrounding mental health and sharing techniques and resources to support mental health well-being at NESCAC institutions.
This year, both student-athlete committees selected the following themes to assist institutional groups in planning events and programming throughout the campaign.
- Day 1 - Mental Health and Social Media
- Day 2 - Mental Health as a Student-Athlete
- Day 3 - Mental Health and Academics
Institutional social media accounts provided quotes or videos of student-athletes sharing the importance of mental health, their self-care practices, and their experiences, along with campus resources.
Events that took place throughout the campaign on campuses included guided meditation, wellness classes, workshops, panels with students and coaches, and outside speakers. Tufts coaches were encouraged to bring their dogs to work on Day 3.
Athletic departments worked with other campus groups to provide a broad array of resources and education to all students and staff. Bowdoin provided an opportunity for all students to make their own self-care packages in conjunction with The Hidden Opponent, the Bowdoin Active Minds Chapter, and the Bowdoin Wellness Center.
Some institutions extended the campaign beyond Dec. 4-6 in order to conduct more campus events or host mental health awareness contests.
