What is Mind the Mind?
Mind the Mind is a Social Impact Initiative by EFPSA (the European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations) in which (psychology) students from 24 European countries fight the stigma surrounding mental health and mental disorders. We want to continue the campaign this academic year as well.
What is our mission?
We want to create the opportunity to talk with a respectful and accepting attitude about mental health and people with mental disorders. In addition, we want to teach children and young people to distinguish myths from facts and thereby give them a better understanding of what the severe term "mental disorder" means.
Furthermore, we want to make the youth realize that seeking help is always a sign of strength. In this way we hope to make a positive impact on society.
How do we achieve our goal?
We try to achieve this goal by means of free interactive workshops, namely:
School workshops
Youth movement workshops
Theatre workshops
Our school workshops consist of a basic package in which we briefly mention what mental disorders are and how they develop. It also addresses the themes of depression and anxiety disorders. In addition, schools can choose from different in-depth packages on the themes:
Schizophrenia and eating disorders
ADHD and autism
OCD, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and PTSD
Fear of failure
Our youth movement workshops consist of various youth movement games with a special twist. We have included mental disorders, such as Tist Autist (ASD/autism) and (L)ieve Active (ADHD). In this way, children encounter mental disorders in a playful way.
At last, our theatre workshops are very similar to our school workshops. However, we added some theatre games and exercises.
Not unimportant: the workshops we give are not purely informative. On the contrary. During the workshops, the focus is mainly on the children’s own experiences and how they deal with them. Our aim is to inform students, but even more so to offer them the opportunity to talk about difficult but very relevant topics.
Why would you want to be a volunteer at Mind the Mind?
Being a volunteer at Mind the Mind has a lot of added value:
You can use the theory from your courses in practice.
Due to the many training courses and lectures that Mind the Mind and EFPSA organize for the volunteers, you can always learn something new.
At the end of the year, you are awarded with a certificate if you have participated in a training and/or workshop.
Great for a resume!
You will cultivate so many different skills: communication, listening, empathy, collaboration, ...
You will be assigned to a buddy who will support you during your time at Mind the Mind.
You can choose how much time you want to spend on Mind the Mind, which ensures a lot of freedom in planning.
Many students indicate that it is difficult to gain any practical experience within our psychology courses. However, Mind the Mind gives you the opportunity to use your already acquired knowledge. In addition, you will end up in a close-knit team of students where everyone can count on each other and where everyone makes each other strive for a better, more professional version of themselves. Do you want more information on being a volunteer at Mind the Mind? Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/3679518165473314
Contact us!
If you have any questions or suggestions, you can always contact us.
Ellen Dotselaere is the National Coordinator. You can send her an e-mail on ellendotselaere@hotmail.com or you can send her a message through https://www.facebook.com/ellendotselaere/
Eline Dens is the Local Coordinator at Leuven. You can send her an e-mail on eline.dens@gmail.com or you can send her a message through https://www.facebook.com/DensEline/
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