The AU Active Minds Club began in 2018 and currently has around 40 members. Lydia Ruckle (junior, psychology) has been part of the club for two years. “I wanted to join the club because it was one of the only clubs on campus that was involved with mental health and was encouraging people to be more mindful about mental health and participate in activities that can help people connect with others,” Ruckle, the club’s current vice president, shared.
The AU Active Minds Club is one small chapter of the overall organization. The Active Minds club is a nonprofit organization that was founded by Alison Malmon after her older brother died of suicide in 2000. It started in 2001 and became official in 2003. Its mission is dedicated to promoting mental health, especially among young adults.
In the past, the AU Active Minds Club has done a lot of mental health or de-stress pop-ups. They try to plan them during the more stressful times of the semester, such as midterms and finals. “I just got to sit with some of the other club members and talk to people as they passed by and give them little stickers with little affirmations and stress balls and stuff like that,” Ruckle explained. The club also put on a pet rock event where people had to go around campus and find a bunch of different rocks in order to receive little prizes from the psychology department.
One of Ruckle’s favorite activities is the club’s Friendsgiving that occurs every November. “We get to just cook together as a club beforehand, and then we bring the whole department together, and anyone who's part of the club or anyone who wants to come and be a part of it, and we eat and have a worship. We just get to have some good discussions, and it's a really fun event.”
Natalie Reid (senior, psychology), the AU Active Minds Club president, really enjoyed attending the "Why I Didn't Tell You" event in September, where several students spoke on their mental health and the challenges they faced reaching out. “It was really powerful both for the audience and the student speakers,” Reid said. “I was so proud of them.” Natalie also enjoyed all the beach vespers the club had with the behavioral science department. “It's so fun playing volleyball with all the professors,” she shared.
Ruckle and Reid encourage people to join the AU Active Minds Club because it is an important club that promotes better mental health on campus and connects the knowledge of psychology to get the point across. “We also have really good merch,” Ruckle said.
If you would like to learn more about the AU Active Minds Club or see how you can be a part of the club, you can visit the club’s Instagram page. Participating in the club’s co-curriculars and pop-ups is a great way to get involved as well.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.