Troy students and Pike County community members assembled in the Trojan Center ballrooms last Thursday to talk about mental health controversies.
Troy’s Office of Civic Engagement partnered with Auburn University and the David Matthew Center for Civic Life to make the discussion possible.
The Alabama Issues Forum, a program through the David Matthews Center, creates issue guides by convening and moderating deliberative public forums on different topics in all of Alabama’s 67 counties.
“This guide is going to center around the ways in which community members can assist each other during mental health crises, how to get reliable mental health information, as well as how to be a strong advocate for mental health,” said Mark Wilson, director of the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities at Auburn University, and partner with the David Matthews Center. “Having Troy students’ input on these topics is very important to us.”
During the discussion, students conversed about an array of controversial mental health related topics such as the lack of mental health facilities in Alabama and if citizens with mental health issues should be allowed to own firearms.
“As students, I think it’s important to always gain more insight on mental health,” said Jayden McQueen, a junior political science major from Crestview, Florida. “I feel like mental health awareness is increasingly becoming more a part of our lives.
“It’s important to be aware of how to take care of our mental health and to know what to look for when someone may be struggling with their own mental health. I think all students should be seeking out opportunities to engage in dialogue and discussion around mental health.”
Chauntina Whittle, a McKenzie Civic Fellow with the David Matthew Center, hopes students will continue the conversation about mental health outside of the discussion.
“I hope, and the David Matthews Center hopes, students will take the issues we discussed today and get a group together to continue the conversation,” Whittle said. "We hope they connect with each other and create an action plan to go out into their communities and raise awareness for taking mental health seriously.”
The David Matthews Center’s main goal is to work better together in communities all across the state of Alabama. For those who would like to participate in the future, more information can be found at Matthewcenter.org.
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