Make Some Noise for Mental Health
Written by: Denae Michie
This November, we celebrate the ninth annual Make Some Noise for Mental Health campaign, presented by RBC. This year, the campaign takes place from October 20 - November 26, marking a significant transition to the fall season after eight years of winter campaigns. Created and implemented in 2015 by the SAIT Trojans Outreach Program, MSN has grown into an ACAC conference-wide awareness campaign to break stigmas around mental health. By involving student-athletes, MSN intends to promote mental health awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental health concerns. The MSN campaign empowers change across 17 different universities and college institutions spanning two provinces. This campaign strives to unite athletes, students, coaches, and mental health leaders in the community in hopes to bring awareness to a high level of competition. This year, the MSN theme is ‘Strength in Unity’, as it emphasizes the notion that 2500 student-athletes and coaches are part of a single unified conference that can collectively better promote the importance of positive mental health.
As part of the fight to reduce the stigma, Thunder Athletics has chosen to fundraise for the Canadian Mental Health Association. The association prides themselves on their vision: a Canada where mental health is a universal right. We couldn’t agree more! CMHA has played an instrumental role in mental health, giving rise to what is now known as the community mental health movement. Everyone has mental health and will experience challenges regarding their
mental well-being, but not everyone will experience a mental illness. As students, mental health is especially important. 43% of the work that CMHA is involved with is campus mental health. Within Concordia, CMHA offers a variety of mental health workshops such as the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and Mental Health First Aid. Students can access these resources through our clubs or CUE Wellness.
As a part of our initiative to destigmatize mental health, Concordia has brought in a mental games coach, Jaci Freeman. You may be asking yourself, what even is mental game coaching? To begin explaining this vast profession, mental game coaching is a process that helps clients learn and master proficiency in their mental skills. It utilizes a psycho-educational model to develop performers’ psychological skills. By working with a mental game coach, athletes can overcome the mental blocks and barriers that hold them back and reach optimal performance. As a part of her role, Jaci strives to help athletes succeed with their goals, whether it be sport, academic, or life related. Throughout the month of November, she will be working with each individual team in hopes to foster a positive and safe environment for athletes and coaches to express their needs and begin to enhance their psychological abilities. If you would like to know more information about mental game coaching, reach out to athleticsrep@student.concordia.ab.ca!
