The COVID-19 pandemic is having a massive effect on the mental health of college students. According to a Texas A&M study, 71% of college students polled said that their stress and anxiety levels increased since the start of the pandemic, and 18% said they had suicidal thoughts.
Because of these grave statistics, and the experiences of our students, KU Hillel and Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City have teamed together to implement a curriculum to provide peer mentorship for mental health awareness.
KU Hillel and Jewish Family Services therapist Wendy Anderson brought up the idea to launch a local curriculum of Sources of Strength. According to its website, Sources of Strength is a “suicide prevention project designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and cultures” to prevent problems such as suicide and substance abuse. The program connects adults and peers and uses an “upstream approach” of multiple support systems for students suffering to rely on.
KU Hillel Executive Director Suzy Sostrin said that the idea for launching the course started because of the need for mental health and wellness support for Generation Z, especially with the pandemic.
“What makes this a really good program is that it’s a different kind of approach,” KU Hillel Rabbi and Senior Jewish Educator Neal Schuster said. “Instead of trying to dissuade (students) about the forces of their despair, it’s about helping them to uncover and focus on the realness of their strength.”
The first four peer mentorship training sessions will be with Anderson, Schuster and a specialist from Sources of Strength. KU Hillel Engagement Associate Ally Fabes will also help guide the students through the program.
“We are very optimistic about the impact a peer mentorship program will have on our KU Hillel community. Often peers see the signs of a friend going through depression or a hard time before the friend has reached out for professional help,” Sostrin said. “For the peer mentors to have the tools to support their friends in seeking help is crucial to our community. We want to empower and educate our students to feel confident in their skills to step in and support their friends and fellow Jayhawks.”
Schuster and Anderson are working on extra sessions beyond the standard Sources of Strength curriculum.
“We’re pushing the curriculum a little bit further than what’s standard, in terms of not only Jewish content, but also in terms of real practical application,” Schuster said. “We want students who participate in this to emerge feeling that they have a tangible set of tools that they can use.”
KU Hillel will begin its mentorship training sessions in March.
