COPE: A Student Mental Health Initiative

1. COPE: A Student Mental Health Initiative General Assembly Meeting Monday, September 19, 2011 6 pm HSC 1A3

2. Meet Our Execs! President: Mariette Lee Secretary: Lisa Klotz Treasurer: Poonam Sudheer VP Volunteers: Faiza Khokar& Sara Halawa VP Promotions: Rameeshay Mubasher VP Events: Richard Wu & Amber Chen VP Communications: Jacob Eappen

3. Why Mental illness?

4. Mental Illness: Fast Facts • Mental illness affects people of all ages, education and socioeconomic status, and cultures • 1 in 5 Canadians will experience some form of depression at some point • 4 out of 10 university students experience depression (!) • Canada’s youth suicide rate is the third highest in the industrialized world

5. Mental Illness: Fast Facts cont’d • 50% who feel they suffered depression and/or anxiety have never seen a doctor about it • Most of the time they just don’t know! • Stigma and discrimination is a serious barrier • Mental illnesses can be treated

6. Why Address this Issue? • Living with mental illness is difficult • Most people don’t realize • Isolation • Motivation • Seeking treatment • Invisible illness

7. COPE’s Goals • A Student Mental Health Initiative • Goals: • Reduce isolation • Educate about mental health • Promote participation • Reducing barriers by connecting students to resources

8. About COPE

9. About COPE • Student Mental Health Initiative • Founded in 2008 (We are 4 years old now!) • Won MSU Social Issues Club for the past 2 years in running • One of the most active clubs at McMaster

10. Opportunities • On-Campus Volunteering • Community Placements • Volunteering Subcommittee

11. Reaching out to McMaster students ON-campus volunteering

12. On-Campus: Awareness • Awareness Campaigns • Information Tables • Mental Illness Awareness Week • Eating Disorders Awareness Week • Invisible Disabilities • Brain Week • Past Event: Speaker Series • Student Accessibility Services (formerly CSD)

13. “The Elephant in the Room” • Stigma can seem invisible but its effects are not • Action against stigma begins with you and your own recovery. • A powerful symbol • Working towards a stigma-free campus

14. On-Campus: Fundraising & Events • Includes but not limited to: • 24 Hour Sponsored Silence • Kid’s Help Phone Fundraiser • Bake Sale Tables • Origami Roses • Coffeehouse/ Formal • Elephant in the Room • Halloween Carnival

15. Past Fundraising Events!

16. Collaboration with different organizations Who We Work With

17. On-Campus Organizations • Health Aging and Society Student Association (HASSA) • Life Science Society • Mac Biopsych Society • Mac Psychology Society • Student Accessibility Services • Campus Wellness Center

18. Off-Campus Organizations • Kids Help Phone • Alzheimer’s Society • Mental Health Rights Coalition (MHRC) • St. Joseph’s Hospital • Homestead Christian Care • Mood Disorders Society of Canada • Good Shepherd • Campus Perks

19. Campus Perks • A way for our club to earn sponsorships by doing the following to engage students: 1) Complete Challenges 2) Earn Kudos 3) Sponsor Projects Check it out and make an account! http://campusperks.ca/

20. Volunteering in the community COMMUNITY PLACEMENTS

21. Community Placements • Kid’s Help Phone • Volunteering with the organization • Assisting with local fundraisers • One-on-one Mentoring • Working with residents directly (mentoring) • Operational Support (fundraising) • Individual or in groups • Organizing and leading events

22. Hospital Placements • Clinical Volunteering Placement • Mood and Anxiety Disorders • Acute mental health • Geriatric Psychiatry • Acquired Brain Injury • Close patient contact for inpatients and outpatients • Commitment of several hours per week

23. Mood Disorders Society of Canada • National, not for profit, consumer driven, voluntary health charity committed to ensuring that the voices of consumers, family members and caregivers are heard on issues relating to mental health and mental illness • Ride Above Depression (Event) • Dance for Depression (Event) • Application for various placements with MDSC available on COPE website

24. VOLUNTEER SUBCOMMITTEE

25. An excellent leadership opportunity • If you choose to, you can get involved with actually organizing and running events alongside with our exec. We have a special subcommittee for any general members interesting in getting unique experiences with coordinating and organizing events. This subcommittee meets once bi-weekly (or needed) – and you can choose which activities you’d like to organize! 

26. Past event: Coffeehouse! • COPE Suicide Prevention Coffee House • Student performers • Raised $200 by donation for Suicide Prevention Community Council of Hamilton!

27. Sub-volunteer CommitteeApplications available now! • http://copex.weebly.com/applications.html

28. Volunteering in the community MEMBER benefits

29. Why Join COPE? • Active club on campus • Social Issues Club of the year • We track all volunteer hours that you volunteer with COPE • Get as involved as you want – whether you make it to one event, or several throughout the year. • Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon • Exec Opportunities for 2012-2013