am i the only one ...?' personalizing 'social' to connect with students
TRANSCRIPT
‘Am I the only one?’Personalizing ‘social’ to connect with students
Tim NekritzAssociate Director of Communications and MarketingDirector of Digital CommunicationsSUNY Oswego
Disclaimer
The following presentation features adult language, troubling data, Yik Yak posts and the slaughtering of sacred cows. Side effects could range from strong emotions to a desire to sing ‘80s/’90s songs.
~1,100 college student suicides/year
Sobering stats
• Around 1 of every 4 adults lives with a diagnosable mental health disorder.• About 1 in 3 college students report feeling so
depressed they have had trouble functioning.• But 18-24-year-olds are least likely adult age
group to seek help.• More than 80% of college students have felt
overwhelmed in past year; 45% felt hopeless.
- ActiveMinds.org
Moreover …
• “More than half of college students have had suicidal thoughts and 1 in 10 students seriously consider attempting suicide. Half of students who have suicidal thoughts never seek counseling or treatment.”
- ActiveMinds.org
NYT must-read
Together but alone
• “Am I the only one … ?“One of the most used phrases in our Class of 2019 Facebook group – rhetoric or more?
Reported by our counseling staff:• “Everybody’s having more fun than I am”• “Everybody else is fine”• “I’m the only one not having fun”
I walked that road
Yik Yak: Where things get real
But there’s support too
The Big Lie: Generational stereotypes
• “This generation is destined to do worse than its parents. They expect to live in their parents’ basements after they graduate college with crippling debt. That they prefer to look for fulfilling work instead of the entry-level jobs of previous generations will stunt their professional progress.”
• “This generation has a can-do spirit, a happy-go-lucky outlook. They are bound to do better than their parents and take responsibility for this arduous task. They have learned to cope and find resilience wherever they can. They are the destined to become the next great generation.”
What’s changed?
•Helicopter parenting•Persistence crisis?•Prescription drugs• Illicit drugs• Social media influence
The Big Myth: Social ‘reality’
•Don’t compare your everyday existence with everybody else’s highlight reel
•Everybody hurts
•More connected than ever; more alone than ever
‘Richard Cory’
By Edward Arlington Robinson (1897)
The trouble with professionalization
•We tell kids they can be anything they want(even Spider-Man).
•But when they get to college, some pigeonhole them (Briggs-Myers, StrengthQuest, etc.).
The trouble with silos• If you build a support system but people have to
come to you, it’s not a service – it’s a castle.
But would you …
[Intermezzo: Exhale]
[It gets better]
No, really: It gets better
So …
Why can’t we do something like this about mental illness?
Or can we?
We need our own backpacks
Binoculars (observe)
What are they saying/doing?
• What are students posting on Yik Yak and other social media (both in terms of problems and encouraging words)?• Are any current students or offices producing great
content on making friends/beating homesickness/other issues?• What conversations are coming up that haven’t been
addressed enough?• Don’t be afraid to just talk to students you know and see
what they’re going through.
Watch for tags/trends
#stompoutstigma
Notebook (content + strategy)
Create/find content• Photos of events• Blog entries • Videos (our Counseling Services already made some)• Link to great resources• Words of survivors from panel:• “Talk about your problems with somebody.”• “Know what support systems are around and know that many
people care.”• “Plan a coping strategy. Find things you enjoy doing or friends
who can distract you when necessary.”• “Self-talk has really helped. I find words and phrases that
reassure me.”
Use student storytellers
Students tackle topics/Qs
• Homesickness• Being yourself (and appreciating yourself)• Getting out of a rut• Making (and losing) friends• Getting involved (and doing it early)• Time management• Emotional rollercoasters• Tips on succeeding
Seek + share student advice
We crowd-sourced info to help students with transition
Find professional(ish) help
Spread via social
Pennsive on Tumblr
Celebrate our flaws
• Fun fact: Our college founder Edward Austin Sheldon was a college dropout and business failure
• We are all flaws in progress
• Show that people fail sometimes and how they develop resilience
• Everybody loves an underdog story
• Everybody loves a comeback story
Map (guidance)
Where can they go?• Whom can they contact?• On-campus resources• Online resources• Helpful advice• Any guidance
(even somethingyou can copy andpaste into Yik Yak when needed)
Amherst College wellness
Features include:• Who do you appreciate?• Promotes storytelling
and helpful programs• Healthy Minds Film
Competition (national,$1,000 prize for short films on dealing w/stress)
• Promotes discussions and other paths to understanding, self-awareness and support
Connections
Find/promote your allies
• Active Minds/other students• Campus resources• Local orgs who do suicide walks
• Sharesurvivorstories!
Reach out
•What are other colleges/colleagues/orgs doing?• What’s working?• What’s not working?• What could be working better?
[Audience participation?]
Real talk:
When I started this presentation, I thought and/or hoped I’d find more colleges addressing this via social media.
I was wrong.
And maybe that’s the real take away.
We all need to do more.
Am I the only one …?
