Four CWU public relations students have prepared a week-long series of events to help give voice to mental health awareness, a topic that many believe the American society has long remained silent on.

On Feb. 27, Hunter Ventoza, Meghan Lynch, Taylor Castillo, Nicole Christopherson and adviser Kevin Brett will launch their Mental Health Awareness Week campaign as part of the 2017 Bateman case study competition.

The annual competition, organized and judged by the Public Relations Student Society of America, aims to provide public relations students the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to a campaign.

The theme for the campaign wasn’t revealed until last September, but the interviews for the Bateman team were held in late spring last year. With this format, the teams remain unaware of the campaign’s objective.

The campaign will officially end on April 7, when all of the promotional materials such as their posters and social media accounts (including their tailored slogan #EburgSpeaks) must be removed and a final case study report will be filed subsequently.

While they all admittedly joined the team in part as a way to help shape their resumes, the importance of shattering the stigmas attached to mental health has not been lost on the team.

“I was excited about [the theme],” Lynch said. “Personally I know lots of people affected by mental health so I thought it was a great way to kind of familiarize myself with the topic more in depth.”

The team believes that this subject of mental health can be especially useful on a college campus. According to Lynch, the research they have discovered while preparing for this project has shown them that men around 25 years old can begin to see first signs of problems with their mental health.

Lynch said if an individual is educated before they potentially see these changes develop, they could have a better idea of how to seek help that would ultimately benefit them in the long run.

“I think this topic was definitely good for a college environment,” Ventoza said. “It’s just good to help people.”

The national project has teamed up with “The Campaign to Change Direction,” an organization that has been endorsed by global political forces such as former First Lady Michelle Obama and Prince Harry.

The goal of the organization is to bring awareness to the five signs of emotional suffering, each of which are being focused on throughout the Bateman team’s Mental Health Awareness Week.

According to “The Campaign to Change Direction,” the five signs of emotional suffering include personality changes, unexplained moods that are uncharacteristic, withdrawal or isolation from others, neglect of self-care or risky behavior, and a sense of hopelessness or being overwhelmed by circumstances.

The team hopes that by educating the community on these five signs, they can help “break the stigmas” surrounding mental health.

“It kind of seems like everyone’s skim experts on the topic,” Ventoza said. “It’s different to pushed in that environment and envelope yourself in it.”

The majority of the events are targeted to the campus and CWU students, with each day dedicated to one of the five signs of emotional suffering.

Early events include a resource fair and panel from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. in SURC 137 on Monday, Feb. 27. The objective of the week’s first event is to provide individuals with information on local mental health resources that they may be unaware of.

Other events will include an open discussion and “thought board” on what agitates students and how they can better vent their frustrations, and another panel and discussion on self-care and motivation later in the week.

The final event on Friday, March 3, is planned to help cultivate a stronger impact on the local community as the Bateman team takes part in the First Friday Art Walk at the Clymer Museum. Those attending can share what “gives them hope” and take part in a raffle that will be awarded at the end of the evening.

Another important factor that the Bateman team hopes to make clear is the amount of mental health resources available to students on campus.

Lynch and Ventoza said that as they dived deeper into their project and began to research what options CWU had in terms of counseling and mental health guidance, they were both “surprised” by what the campus had to offer.

A major resource for students includes the Student Medical and Counseling Center, where psychologists and licensed mental health counselors are available during their office hours from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

When counselors are unavailable, they will work one-on-one with students to find them a local mental health professional who can help in the meantime. If all other options are unavailable, students can always reach out to the crisis line at (509) 925-4168.

Other options available to students include the campus organization Active Minds, the psychology club and the Wellness Center. All offer various services or programs that focus on promoting mental health and educating students about self-care.

Although the Bateman team’s program will come to a close after their five days of events dedicated to the five signs of emotional suffering, the group shared their hope that the education on mental health will continue long after the final event wraps up.

“You think you know about [mental health] until you really learn about it,” Lynch said. “It’s a great cause.”