Mental Health Council hosts Kindness Bingo
Kindness Bingo consists of actions that students can take to participate over the course of the school week. “I think this mental health initiative is especially impactful during times like these where we all are sequestered at home and the social interaction between students is very limited,” Ayala said. “I joined the council because I saw that there is a need for maintaining mental health, because it is important to make sure everyone is doing fine as a part of being in a great community.”
February 1, 2021
Jefferson’s newly formed Mental Health Council introduced its first action, Kindness Bingo, on Monday, Jan. 25. During stressful times, the council aims to improve mental health among students.
“TJ’s student government created the Mental Health Council because we realized that student government needs to emphasize mental health and wellness more,” sophomore Angela Sidhu said. “This is especially important with the pandemic hitting hard on students’ mental health.”
This initiative is unlike past attempts to increase the student population’s happiness, though. The council places emphasis on multiple specific aspects that contribute to mental health.
“We hope to serve as an inbox for students’ concerns and make administrative changes accordingly,” Sidhu said. “Additionally, we hope to connect our student body together and create a support system, considering the isolating effects COVID-19 has had.”
With feedback from students in mind, the council worked together to produce an idea that would enable them to work towards these goals. The significant amount of thought that councilmembers have put into this idea is evident, aligning with their long term objectives.
“We chose to create a kindness bingo because a lot of students have been voicing to us that they feel like it’s hard to connect with others,” Sidhu said. “Doing kind acts also boosts serotonin, so we decided to make a kindness bingo, which revolves around being kind to both yourself and others.”
Kindness Bingo was met with resounding support and significant interaction from the student body, indicative of the potential of this council to make meaningful change in the Jefferson community.
“We know that social interaction can help improve mental health, so our Kindness Bingo was one of the first steps to increase awareness among friends and family,” sophomore Vinay Ayala said. “We were honestly surprised by how many students completed their boards over just the span of five days.”
The council continues to try to advocate for awareness and form a strong community. You can follow their work at @tjhsstmentalhealth on Instagram.
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