Mental Health Walk Urges Students to Be Kind to Your Mind

During the fall semester, more than 200 students participated in Saint Joseph’s annual Out of the Darkness walk to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental health disorders. Students attended the walk sporting blue shirts with positive messages, including “You Matter” and “Be Kind to Your Mind.” 

The University’s Dean’s Leadership Program initiated the Out of the Darkness walk in 2015 to honor the memory of a student who lost their life to suicide after a long struggle with mental health issues. 

The walk created an atmosphere of support for those who are grappling with mental health issues and made a space where they could feel connected to their peers. The Out of the Darkness Walk also provides an opportunity for attendees to self-reflect on their own mental health, to remember those whom they have lost and to be supported in the grieving process.

"Everyone struggles in their own way, so when you provide people with a platform to speak on it, it really makes people more comfortable.” - Nick Farrell, BSBA ’24 founder of the HOPE Initiative and Student Senate chair of Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

“People are willing to talk about [mental health] more now,” says Nick Farrell, BSBA ’24, founder of the HOPE Initiative and Student Senate chair of Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) at St. Joe’s. “There’s more of a safe space to speak about issues like this because obviously everyone struggles in their own way, so when you provide people with a platform to speak on it, it really makes people more comfortable.”

This fall, the Dean’s Leadership Program will host its 10th anniversary walk to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention.

“I think it’s very important for events like this where you can join together, come down to earth and realize that we are all the same at the end of the day,” says Nicoletta Viscione, BS ’24, member of the Dean’s Leadership Program.