Bandana Project promotes mental health awareness, needs project leaders
Ohio University’s Office of Health Promotion invites students, faculty, staff, and Athens community members to the launch of The Bandana Project outside the fourth floor of Baker Center on Monday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Bandana Project is a mental health awareness and suicide prevention program.
The Bandana Project initiative, led by The Office of Health Promotion, welcomes students, faculty, and staff to participate, which includes making a pledge indicating willingness to talk about mental health and suicide openly and to help people feel encouraged and supported in getting help. Participants carry and display a lime green bandana that shows they are part of the Bandana Project mental health awareness movement, and that they can connect others with mental health resources.
In addition to preparing for the project kickoff this month, the Office of Health Promotion seeks campus partners – professional and graduate staff – to join a volunteer leadership team that will prepare for a full program launch in the fall. Planning will begin this summer and will require approximately an hour each week for team meetings and planning. Those interested in getting involved can contact Ann Brandon, associate director, Prevention and Education, at abrandon@ohio.edu.
“Making mental health support visible is critical as we emerge from the pandemic,” Brandon said. “I welcome my colleagues from across campus to get involved in this important project. Your diverse perspectives will help make it a success.”
The University is launching The Bandana Project on the Athens campus as part of a broader mental health initiative by the University and community partners. Last fall, Special Assistant to the President for Public Health Operations Gillian Ice secured a Rise and Thrive Campus-Community Partnerships grant from Prevention First to support a collaboration between OHIO COVID Operations, the Division of Students Affairs Office of Health Promotion, and the Athens City-County Health Department. Project partners will plan and implement COVID recovery efforts focused on mental and behavioral health to counter the profound social isolation caused by pandemic.