Kelley Westley recalled coming home from school as a child and not being able to turn to her parents for help with homework. She stayed late at school to get the help she needed. Today, Westley is graduating from San Diego City College with a degree in early childhood education. 

The local Active Minds chapter at San Diego City College hosted Kindness is Contagious, an event to help educate students on self-reflection and goodwill, on Nov. 30.

Around 40 attendees shuffled into the MS-162 auditorium on a sunny September afternoon before taking their seats at the suicide prevention training presented by City Student Mental Health and the City Active Minds chapter.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for people between the age of 10 and 43.  During September, National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and all year long, San Diego City College Student Mental Health is working to lessen the stigma around suicide.

The San Diego City College Active Minds chapter is recruiting.  Active Minds, a national organization advocating for and educating about mental health, has 800 chapters at colleges and universities around the United States.

Serrano honed her curiosity while growing up in Tijuana and attending what she described as a “very Catholic high school.” “I tend to jump into taboo topics,” she said. “What don’t you want me to discover?”

Isolation brought on by COVID-19 not only caused the majority of social opportunities on campus to dwindle, but also put pressure on students' well-being. Community art could be one way to help students assimilate to campus life.

Dozens of backpacks filled Curran Plaza for an Active Minds event called “Send Silence Packing” at San Diego City College March 17.

San Diego City College will be holding an event called “Send Silence Packing” on March 17 that focuses on mental health and encourages people to ask for help when needed.

To help shine a light on the stigma around mental health in Black communities, City hosted multiple events throughout Black History Month aimed at breaking down some of these barriers.

Through interactive events, guest speakers, social media and other resources, the student chapter of Active Minds at City works tirelessly to fight stigma about and open lines of communication around mental health.

For National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, San Diego City College Student Health and mental health education organization Active Minds presented Behind the Backpacks, which shared stories of those impacted by suicide and resources for suicide prevention.