Past Events

Creating Communities, Strengthening Ties: SMU Mental Health Week 2024

In a vibrant celebration of mental health and community, the Mrs. Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre (MWKLSWC) hosted the annual SMU Mental Health Week on October 17 and 18, 2024. Coinciding with World Mental Health Day on October 10, this year’s theme, "Creating Communities, Strengthening Ties," sparked enthusiasm across the SMU campus as participants embraced the importance of building connections and prioritizing mental well-being.

A Collaborative Experience

The two-day event brought together various SMU offices, student clubs, and external agencies, creating an inclusive environment filled with engaging activities designed to foster connection and support. The SMU T-Junction buzzed with excitement as about 800 participants joined in on the festivities, eager to learn, share, and grow together.

Highlights of the Roadshow

The lineup of activities was thoughtfully curated to embody the spirit of connection, featuring events such as:

• Café Conversations
  A community-building initiative that encouraged participants to sip, share, and forge new friendships through meaningful discussions.
  
• The Ripple Effect
  Engaging activities with Singa and the Kindness Cubbies inspired participants to spread kindness and positivity throughout the SMU community.
• Gratitude Buzz
  This interactive experience invited attendees to express their gratitude by writing notes and hanging them on a beautifully crafted gratitude tree. After the roadshow, this tree was relocated to the library, where it will remain for the rest of the term, serving as a continuous reminder to count our blessings. Students and staff are encouraged to add their own leaves throughout the semester, reinforcing the message that gratitude is an ongoing practice.
• Beyond Barriers
  An eye-opening experience, this activity allowed participants to simulate various visual and physical challenges, fostering understanding and inclusivity through respectful interactions and the exploration of assistive technologies.
• 5 Love Languages
  This segment guided participants in discovering their own love languages, promoting deeper connections and enhancing interpersonal relationships.
• Gaming Galore
  Participants engaged in a unique twist on Jenga, where teamwork involved sharing stressors and self-care strategies, reinforcing the idea that fun can also be therapeutic.
• Making Memories 
  The students had a wonderful time taking pictures with their friends as memories of their treasured time in university.
• Zen Oasis
  A serene space for mindfulness, where attendees could participate in relaxation techniques aimed at improving overall well-being.

Faculty and Staff Engagement

Beyond the student-focused events, MWKLSWC partnered with the Office of Human Resources to offer rejuvenating activities for faculty and staff from October 7 to 24. These included sound bath therapy, soothing back massages provided by visually impaired therapists, leathercraft workshops, and insightful talks for caregivers and parents. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with many spots filling up quickly, demonstrating the community's commitment to mental health.

Additionally, a curated book display on mental health topics was set up at the Li Ka Shing Library, available from October 14 to November 8, promoting ongoing dialogue around mental wellness.

Conclusion

SMU Mental Health Week 2024 was a resounding success, showcasing the dedication of the MWKLSWC team and the unwavering support from the entire SMU community. By fostering a culture of connection, empathy, and resilience, this event not only highlighted the importance of mental health but also strengthened the ties that bind us together. As we move forward, let us continue to prioritize mental well-being and create supportive environments for everyone.
 

5, 12, 19, 26 Sep 2024 (Every Thursday) from 3:30pm - 5:00pm
Venue: SMU Connexion – Lounge 4-1 

In conjunction with the annual World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September, Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre collaborated with SMU Peer Helpers and Limitless. This day is an opportunity to reflect on mental health, celebrate the strength of community support, and highlight the importance of our connections as crucial lifelines.

The counsellors at our Centre hosted an engaging session featuring the card activity "What Truly Matters" by Happiness Initiative to start meaningful conversations and connect with others.

The SMU Peer Helpers set up Cosy Café where students discussed their mental health goals, shared their experiences and connected with others in a relaxed setting. The students were treated to a drink of their choice and Famous Amos cookies.

Limitless joined us with a range of activities, including understanding mental health through interactive storytelling, sharing thoughts about "What I live for" and using "smol tok" cards to raise awareness of the impact of mental health conditions.

 

Every semester, SMUSA (SMU Students’ Association) would organise a Welfare Drive for students.

The primary purpose will be to give students snacks in order to give them a tiny boost and motivation while they prepare for their projects and final examinations.

We are always very happy to support SMUSA in their initiatives so when they approached us, we immediately agreed to support their event. We also wanted to try to do something differently this year and not just buy the usual spread of snacks for the students.

For the snacks, we worked with Bizlink, a social enterprise to provide packs of cookies and healthy nuts for the students. We also partnered SAVH (Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped) to provide 15-minute shoulder massage for the students. As you can imagine, the massage was a huge favorite among the students and it was such a welcome treat.

Overall, we reached up to about 1,000 students over 3 days. That’s the last event which we are involved in for the semester and we will be focused on supporting the students in counselling for the rest of the semester as the examinations draw closer.

Do you know that 15 March 2024 is World Sleep Day? In collaboration with the SMU Peer Helpers, we organized “Maximise Zzz’s for Success” Roadshow, a Mental Wellness Welfare Drive for students.

More than 400 students joined us throughout the day outside Marmalade Pantry. The giveaways included Palm Pals, specially designed socks, ice cream, stickers and oat milk. During the event, students set a sleep goal and personalized their mini bottles of aromatherapy. Students were informed about tips and strategies to improve their sleep as well.

We also launched the 14-Day Sleep Challenge where almost 300 students pledged to participate and take steps to improve their sleep.

On 14 March 2024, we invited Dr Wong Sheau Hwa, a psychiatrist and sleep specialist, to conduct a workshop for the students. The students were thoroughly engaged during the workshop and asked a lot of questions.

The workshop provided an overview on the topic of sleep and insomnia, with the following objectives:

• What constitutes a normal night's sleep, and what do we expect as we age.
• lmportance of sleep
• What are the different types of insomnia, and the possible causes for insomnia, such as anxiety.
• What basic sleep hygiene measures one can take to help improve their sleep

*Here is sharing a short video featuring a chat between Dr Wong and Maximilian Chen, a clinical psychologist about sleep which you may find useful. Click here to view video.

We organized “Let’s check-in” roadshow for the students today and it was a resounding success! 🎉

Events on campus are usually very festive and can feel like a bit of a touch-and-go but we have been trying to be creative with our outreach so students engage in a wellbeing intervention and leave with a meaningful takeaway.

Our event giveaway was Famous Amos 🍪 cookies. In order to redeem the cookies, the students played “Let’s unpack this” conversational card game. Happiness Initiative trained the counsellors, SMU Peer Helpers and SMU Psychology Society to facilitate the game. The students swarmed in individually and with their friends. Within the first 2 hours, our cookies were fully redeemed. Luckily, https://www.linkedin.com/company/happiness-initiative/SMU is within the city centre so we went to purchase more cookies as we had 3 more hours to go! 🤩

We also partnered Viriya Community Services where students were invited to fill up a quick online form to obtain an individualized mental wellness profile. ☀️ The profile included mental health symptoms, general functioning, and personal values. With the brief snapshot, the students had the option of having a discussion with one of the mental health professionals from Viriya. ✨

On 6 February 2024, we hosted a fireside chat ‘To be or not to be… attached” with Kenneth Tan, one of the professors of psychology. Lim Mou Nyee, our Senior Counsellor, hosted a lively session with our students. Kenneth shared some insights about the research on relationships and singlehood and students enquired about whether it was better to be in a relationship or single. The students realized that the answer was not that straightforward as it depends whether the relationship was positive or not. It does not mean that one has to be in a romantic relationship in order to have a positive wellbeing because it is really about the quality of our relationships, with family, friends, co-workers and the community.
 

We started off the year with a workshop on “Cultivate your best possible self” by Simon Leow from Happiness Initiative. Our team is really glad to have an ongoing partnership with Happiness Initiative since last year when we brought “Let’s unpack this” game to Mental Health Week 2023 in Singapore Management University.

The participants of the workshop learnt the wellbeing goal of “Setting Daily Purposeful Goals” by exploring what truly matters and gaining insights on what is important to us, our interests and our strengths. The participants enjoyed engaging in the “What truly matters”, a conversational card game that explores what truly matters in the domains of career, love and personal growth. They reflected on their values, goals and aspirations through thought-provoking questions and prompts.

The participants enjoyed the session so much that they asked for more workshops like these and shared that they are looking forward to the next event that we organize.

A season of kindness

World Kindness Day is observed on 13 November every year, in dedication to promoting and celebrating acts of kindness. This year, Mrs Wong Kwok Leong Student Wellness Centre invited students to pledge their participation in the “22 Day Kindness Challenge” at a roadshow held on 10 November. The event has organised in collaboration with the SMU Peer Helpers and the Singapore Kindness Movement.

You may be wondering what kindness has to do with strengthening our emotional resilience and fostering resilient communities. Take time to recall how you felt when you were kind to another person or when someone showed your kindness when you did not expect it. Acts of kindness have been shown to increase empathy and compassion, self-esteem and mood. It can also lower your blood pressure and cortisol, which correlates with stress. Being kind benefits your relationships and makes you feel more connected with others, thus reducing feelings of loneliness.

Students will receive daily prompts as a reminder to be kind to themselves and to others as they enter the examination period of the term. Due to the stressors and pressures of assessments, we recognise that students may be a little more prone to being hard on themselves which can be detrimental to their wellbeing. Hence, we would like to remind students to extend those same kind intentions and behaviours to themselves.

During the event, students shared encouraging messages on the Kindness Wall and made bracelets and keychains for their friends. They also wrote letters to friends and family to express thoughts of kindness and appreciation. There were notepads, post-its pads, stickers and pouches  from the Singapore Kindness Movement. Students were excited to meet Singa the Kindness Lion and Smoo Smoo at the World Kindness Day roadshow as well.

The Purple Parade is Singapore’s largest movement that supports inclusion and celebrates abilities of persons with disabilities. This year’s celebration was held on 4 November at Suntec City, and we saw the largest turnout of 13,000 people. About 120 groups participated in the contingent march, one of their signature events. In a powerful display of unity and support for inclusivity, students, staff and families of SMU donned in a sea of purple as we marched with enthusiasm, in solidarity with the tremendously energetic crowd gathered to support the very same cause.

Mental Health Week 2023, with its focus on building emotional resilience, left a lasting impact on both students and staff. The event was held from 9-13 Oct 2023 and featured an array of interactive booths, offering hands-on and reflective exercises designed to promote mental well-being.

In addition to the engaging booths, fringe activities, such as the "Human Library" event, were organised as well. The "Human Library" event captured the hearts and minds of participants, and provided a unique opportunity for students and staff to 'read' the stories of 'human books,' who shared their personal journeys and triumphs in overcoming life's challenges.

Another standout fringe activity during Mental Health Week 2023 was "Cafe Conversations." This innovative initiative encouraged students and staff to visit various partner cafes on and off campus, where specially curated MHW set offerings were available for purchase. To facilitate meaningful interactions, conversation starters were thoughtfully placed on the tables, inspiring patrons to engage in genuine and empathetic dialogues. 

Mental Health Week 2023 served as a vital platform for fostering mental health awareness and resilience within the university community, encouraging open dialogues and a deeper understanding of the human experience.

Even though Mental Health Week 2023 is over, do check out the Feelings Wheel along the concourse near the SOA B1 Lift Lobby to revisit learning more about emotions, as well as the SMU Newsroom article covering our event in greater detail!