Mental Health Awareness Week

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has decided to take charge on an American Athletic Conference-wide initiative to raise awareness about mental health. The student-athlete-led group has planned several initiatives throughout the week of September 25-29.

Mental health is a rising and serious issue among student-athletes dealing with stresses from the pressure to perform on and off the court while balancing a healthy lifestyle. The American SAAC and all of its member institutions are dedicated to beat the negative stigma of mental health issues by raising awareness and simply asking for help. The designated color for the week is green.

The UCF SAAC has planned to spread awareness and host "green games" for all home competitions, hand out green wristbands for student-athletes to wear, and post on social media using the hashtag #Pow6rfulMinds. Lastly, UCF SAAC created a video that uses statistics and false stigmas about asking for help when it comes to their mental health.

Below is a blog written by UCF SAAC President Morgan Ferrara reflecting on mental health:
It was the end of June at the American Athletic Conference headquarters when I had the opportunity to meet with other SAAC presidents from each institution in our conference. In our meeting we decided to create a mental health awareness initiative targeting student-athletes. The planning and ideas sparked immediately. Each school representative went home with a list full of ideas and a bunch of new knowledge regarding mental health. When I first arrived back on campus, I was ecstatic to present this to my executive board. Immediately, their ideas started to explode, each of us taking to heart how powerful this initiative really could be.

I think that mental health is something all athletes hold close to their hearts. More than 88% of NCAA athletes reported feeling lonely last year. I think that we feel so passionately about this initiative because mental health is so relevant amongst all of us. Our plans so far have unfolded incredibly. Our biggest goal of this year is to end the stigma that seeking help for mental illness, as athletes, makes you weak or vulnerable. We want our athletes to feel safe and comfortable in seeking help. We want them to know that they are not alone. As for this week specifically, we designed and handed out green wristbands to every student-athlete. We created a powerful video. We created and hung flyers with all of the resources UCF has regarding mental health help in all of our facilities. We organized "Green Games" for all of our fall sports—where fans and players wear green to promote mental health awareness. We plan to continue this initiative throughout the year, as mental health is always relevant and important. 

Paula Parks, UCF Rowing
This week, UCF Athletics came together for Mental Health Awareness. We opened the door to a conversation many of us need but don't engage in very often. According to an article on ESPN.com more than 450,000 students competed in college sports in 2011-12, yet no hard data is being collected on how many athletes are coping with psychological concerns.

During my time as a UCF Knight, I have learned to treat my team as my family and that I have a responsibility to be a good leader and care for their well-being. After hearing those facts, I understood that there is something that needs to be done – and the time is now.
 
The first time we talked about this topic in one of our SAAC meetings, one of my friends stated that according to the American Athletic Conference, 35 NCAA student-athletes committed suicide between 2003-12, making up a total of 7.3 percent of the total student-athletes' deaths occurring during this timeframe. I automatically thought about my team of 40 women – 40 women that I respect, admire and love. If I apply that 7.3 percent to my team, that would mean three of them would have committed suicide for mental health reasons. That's three teammates, daughters, friends, future wives, mothers and sisters. Three of my teammates whose deaths could have been avoided if only we gave mental health the importance and awareness it deserves.

After this month, I've never been more proud to call myself a UCF Knight. I've seen athletes from all the sports not only wearing green, but also engaging in the conversation and being the role models and great people this world needs. I am happy for all the support we've received from our fellow athletes and coaches, and can't wait for all the good things we'll accomplish regarding mental health in the future.

Remember that you are not alone, your UCF Family is always with you.