Last week, the student-run organization Thrive hosted a mental health awareness event in preparation for midterms. “Mindfulness for Midterms,” included a pumpkin spice coffee station, water coloring and breathing techniques to help center yourself during midterms.
Thrive works out of the Health Counseling Center (HCC) to provide resources for students ranging from mental health and sexual health, to safety surrounding drugs and alcohol. The organization hosts events throughout each quarter, giving students the opportunity to feel safe and relax from everyday campus life.
Thrive offers counseling sessions, assists with reporting unsafe situations and provides ongoing support to the student body. In the past, the organization has hosted events for Mental Health Awareness Month (September), the importance of recognizing the Red Zone (the period at the beginning of the school year until Thanksgiving when sexual assault is most common), offered student success coaching and shared tips on nutrition and physical activity. Overall, Thrive is centered around keeping students safe and healthy and is a resource that deserves recognition.
Thrive is run by peer educators who are a team of undergraduate students that work for the University of Denver’s Department of Health and Promotion. Peer educators, also known as HCC ambassadors, help communicate between DU staff and students to help promote health and well being.
The ambassadors also lead Intervene at DU which is a required session educating all students on safe sex, responsible drug and alcohol use and how to recognize and seek help for mental health concerns.
While Thrive educates students on some heavy topics, they also put on soothing and uplifting events on campus. Last week’s event was focused on art therapy, gratitude and how to cope with stress. Students were able to learn breathing techniques to help them cope with finals and have a designated time to be creative and enjoy some coffee.
The leaders of Thrive all have a deep history based in safety, health and wellness and are passionate about the impact that student leaders can have on the university. The peer educators of Thrive all spoke about the positive environment that the organization has created on campus.
“I joined Thrive as a Peer Educator because I participated in a similar peer education program in high school and was able to see the outstanding results of peer education on students,” said Maanasi Gowda, a Peer Educator for Thrive. “Peer education is important, especially when it comes to the topics that Thrive covers, because it creates a supportive and productive environment where students find themselves more comfortable being more inquisitive, asking for support where they need it, and actively working on creating a better culture for and with their peers.”
Thrive has created a safe and comfortable community for students by educating and bringing awareness to topics that are critical to one’s well-being. Small events like “Mindfulness for Midterms” contribute to the larger impact of student success and health.
