Main Stories
With college students returning to campuses after a year of social isolation and disruption, a reminder to promote a positive culture towards kindness can ease the transition to social life and benefit students’ mental health. The Born This Way Foundation is gearing up for its annual #BeKind21 movement, which calls on participants to practice an act of kindness each day from September 1st to September 21st, helping to build kinder communities that foster mental health. This year’s campaign has been crafted to respond to the unprecedented season we are all in and encourages a culture of kindness and compassion in your community, including self-kindness. Last year, more than 5.3 million people participated in #BeKind21, including over 350 classrooms, schools, and school districts. Born This Way Foundation invites everyone to add #BeKind21 to their fall plans, marking this unusual and historic season with kindness and compassion. To take the #BeKind21 pledge, please sign-up here.
Other News
The Los Angeles Times reports on mental health concerns for the fall for the 2.7 million college students in California. The article describes students’ experiences with uncertainty, financial hardships, and other stressors stemming from the pandemic.
A new study of college students on leisure time found that students who viewed leisure as wasteful or unproductive were less happy and more depressed, as well as anxious and stressed.
In an op-ed for The Los Angeles Loyolan, interim opinion student editor Yukuna Inoue writes about looking after one another’s mental health when transitioning back to in-person college.
The University of Texas News announces UT Austin’s efforts to improve its university’s mental health crisis response. Starting this fall, the newly banded Mental Health Assistance and Response Team (MHART) will dispatch mental health professionals along with plain-clothed police officers to respond to crisis calls.