Speak Up, You’re Not Alone.
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Standing outside Lamont Library with a sign that reads "let's talk about anything, Harvard," Alexa L. Llibre '11 works with the Student Mental Health Liasons to foster a community where it's "OK to not be OK."
Visitors to the new "Harvard Speaks Up" website are greeted by familiar faces—those of their peers and their advisors, their professors, and their housemasters. None of the submissions are anonymous.
Harvard's Student Mental Health Liaisons launched the electronic twist on their public forum this week. All members of the Harvard community—students, alumni, faculty, and staff—are invited to upload short videos sharing their mental health experiences. Participants describe their own obstacles and and how they have coped. All videos end with the phrase, "Speak up, you're not alone."
Since the website uses YouTube to store video data, guidelines for submission suggest that participants may wish to disable comments when they upload their videos to YouTube, or mark the videos as unlisted. Twenty-six stories of support and perseverance have been added so far.
Soon, the website promises to feature an interactive compilation of Harvard's mental health resources.
If you would like to add your voice to the growing dialogue about mental health on campus, speak up by sharing your own story here. As the website reminds us, you're not alone.