Students and members of Gracious Life Foundation (GLF) during the street campaign at Supermarket complex, Dimapur on October 8. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | October 8
In anticipation of World Mental Health day (October 10), a street campaign featuring musical and theatrical performances from college students was held on Tuesday at Supermarket complex, Dimapur.
The event was organised by Gracious Life Foundation (GLF), an NGO established to provide appropriate and accessible mental health support services. It had in participation students from Tetso College, St Joseph’s University and North East Institute of Social Sciences and Research (NEISSR) along with a special performance by singer/songwriter, Koko Savino.
“This street campaign is aimed to create awareness, break the stigma and educate our people on mental health,” stated Lisali Humtsoe, founder and Director of GLF. She emphasized the importance of bringing attention on this cause through direct involvement with the people and engaging in effective campaigning with the help of the student community.
“We hope that this would empower the youths as future advocators to speak up about mental health,” she said.
The campaign involved students acting out on a number of street-plays, group song and dance centered on the idea of mental health awareness.
A short speech by GLF psychologist, Rovikhono Savino delved on idea of creating a space or platform where individuals can talk on the issue at hand. She said that breaking the stigma around mental health begins through conversation and being able to speak freely about it. This can be with friends or family members, encouraging and validating their emotions, she added.
“When individuals feel that they are not alone in their struggle, they are more likely to seek help,” she said.
Savino also stressed for the need to remind each other that mental wellbeing directly correlates with physical health. “We often seek help for our physical problems but ignore what is going inside our minds,” she highlighted.
For youths especially, she mentioned that issues about personal identity, transitioning into adulthood and social media all have a direct or indirect affect on their mental state of being.
In addition, anxiety, stress, social conformity and idleness can negatively lead towards substance abuse for some, she noted.
As such, breaking the stigma around mental health needs to be the foremost objective moving forward, she viewed.
