United Chinese Americans (UCA) partnered with North Carolina Central University (NCCU) for the Thursday, November 4, 2021 virtual event “Talking Together Saves Lives: A Panel Discussion.” The guests spoke about their experiences and roles in their higher education, North Carolina, and mental health spaces, discussing their own struggles, dispelling the stigmas of mental health, and talking about resources available for college students.
1,100 American college students lose their lives to suicide on college campuses each year, and this past year during the pandemic has been difficult for many in regards to mental health. In 2020, 1 in 5 college students had suicidal thoughts.
NCCU student, Ashley Sherman, who is president of the NCCU Student Nurses Association and of NCCU Talk Space, served as host of the event. UCA WAVES Program Director Lily Jian Chen, who is a lecturer in the NCCU Department of Nursing, moderated. NCCU students and NCCU Talk Space Peer Mentors Ashley Brown, Farah Patel, and Natalie Roman helped facilitate the event and discussion. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Chief Equity Officer Victor Armstrong and NCCU Department of Nursing Chair Yolanda VanRiel were featured speakers. Panelists included NCCU student and NCCU Talk Space Peer Mentor Allencia Hinnant, University of North Carolina student and System Association of Student Governments President Ray Palma, former NCCU Department of Nursing faculty member and current National Alliance on Mental Illness Administrative Assistant Gail Pruett, UCA WAVES Coordinator and Duke University medical student Jennifer Tu, and UCA WAVES Consultant and Brown University – Butler Hospital Psychiatry Resident Sen Xu.
“Thank you to all the speakers and panelists, everyone who contributed, and of course all attendees!” said UCA WAVES Program Director Lily Jian Chen. “We appreciate your work and you joining us for this conversation on the importance of talking about mental health, sharing our stories together, and access to mental health resources that are out there for college students.”
Watch the webinar recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgJVqjEBZyo.
Find help and resources via the UCA website at https://ucausa.org/find-help-resources/. Information about the UCA WAVES Program and more resources can be found on the UCA website at https://ucausa.org/uca-waves/. Find information on the NAMI website at https://nami.org/Home.
美国华人联合会(UCA)与北卡中央大学(NCCU)合作，于2021年11月4日(星期四)举办了一场“讲讲你的故事，挽救鲜活的生命：小组讨论”的线上讲座。嘉宾们讲述了他们在高校和工作中与心理健康相关的故事，讲述了他们自己曾经的挣扎，以及是如何走出困境的经历，并列举了一些大学生在遇到精神健康问题时，可求助的资源。
每年有1100名美国大学生在大学校园里自杀身亡，过去的一年，在疫情期间，许多人的心理健康都受到了影响。2020年，五分之一的大学生有自杀想法。
NCCU学生Ashley Sherman是此次活动的主持人，她是NCCU学生护士协会和NCCU谈话空间的主席。UCA WAVES项目主任、NCCU护理系讲师陈健(Lily Jian Chen)是这次活动的协调者。NCCU学生和NCCU谈话空间同伴导师Ashley Brown, Farah Patel和Natalie Roman协助促进了活动和讨论。北卡罗莱纳州卫生和公众服务部副部长首席公平官Victor Armstrong和NCCU护理系主任Yolanda VanRiel是特约演讲者。
小组讨论成员包括NCCU学生和NCCU谈话空间同伴导师Allencia Hinnant，北卡罗莱纳大学学生和学生政府系统协会主席Ray Palma，前NCCU护理系教员和现任全国精神疾病联盟行政助理Gail Pruett，UCA WAVES协调员，杜克大学医学院学生Jennifer Tu, UCA WAVES顾问，布朗大学巴特勒医院精神病学住院医师Sen Xu。
UCA wave项目总监陈健说:“感谢所有的演讲者和小组成员，感谢所有的志愿者，当然还有所有的与会者!”“我们感谢你的工作，感谢你加入我们的对话，谈论心理健康的重要性，欢迎大家分享我们的故事，让更多大学生能了解到获取帮助的途径。”
通过UCA网站https://ucausa.org/find-help-resources/寻找帮助和资源。关于UCA WAVES项目的信息和更多资源可以在UCA的网站https://ucausa.org/uca-waves/上找到。
还可以在NAMI网站https://nami.org/Home找到相关信息。
Watch the webinar recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgJVqjEBZyo.