This week Wednesday the 16th of October, USI visited us at MSU as we participated in their 'ReCharge' campaign which encourages students to take time to look after their mental health. The focus of this years campaign was exercise, healthy eating and sharing your problems.
USI ReCharge Campaign
This week MSU participated in USI’s yearly ‘ReCharge’ campaign, the goal of this campaign is to encourage students to take time to look after their mental health and reach out if they need support. Just like you would recharge your phone when it’s running low on power, it’s important to take time and Recharge your mental health. In its second year running, the focus of this campaign is exercise, eating healthy and sharing your problems. Speaking on this, USI Vice President for Welfare; Roisin O’Donovan said:
“The purpose of the USI RE:Charge mental health campaign is to deliver practical tips for students to use, so that they can recharge their mental health, like they would their phone battery. Although the college experience is new, fun, and exciting, for many students it can also be a scary transition and an expensive one too. So, we are encouraging all students to take care of their mental health throughout the year and to allow time to recharge.”
USI toured around various colleges and universities this week such as TU Dublin, GMIT, ITT and Maynooth University. Funded by the HSE, the event was a huge success on Wednesday in the SU, Your Space was filled with positive energy as students engaged with the MSU Welfare officer Ciarán Watts alongside the ReCharge team to promote a positive attitude towards mental health.
The event featured flyers with practical tips, support cards, Fairtrade bananas and a reusable water bottle giveaway to tie in with the theme of healthy eating, also an interactive element where students could leave positive messages to encourage discussion around the topic. Samaritans also attended the event and were there to provide support and promote the importance of sharing your struggles, they also gave away their own merch such as wristbands and pens to raise awareness on the issue.
MSU encourages all students to take time to look after their mental health and feel that they can reach out for support if needed. To seek help freephone Samaritans on 01 671 0071 or avail of the Maynooth University on campus counselling services by calling 01 708 3554 to book an appointment or call to the Counselling Service Reception in the Student Services Centre (top floor). For more information on the campaign visit usi.ie