Well-being Elevated is a U student led project aimed at boosting mental health and well-being for all college students. The team is currently recruiting 150 U students to participate in six peer support sessions and U students can earn $75 for their time and participation.
Grounded in scientific research, Well-being Elevated connects students and empowers them to manage stress, activate healthy behaviors, utilize strengths, practice mindfulness/meditation and ultimately strengthen well-being. This program has been shown in the past to improve happiness, life satisfaction, reduce anxiety, stress and depression.
The six peer support sessions, conducted over Zoom, begin Feb. 22 and end before the end of the semester. Students who participate in weekly activities and complete five out of the six sessions will receive $75 from Well-being Elevated. Each session is one hour and meetings begin weekly and shift to bi-monthly towards the end of the semester.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE
The project is initially focusing on college students using three approaches—an app, a website and targeted support groups—to provide preventative and scalable mental health promotion services. The participating 150 students’ feedback will aid the pilot by helping us learn and improve, in order grow the program to a large-scale initiative serving more students in semesters to come.
Mental illness is one of the most serious problems faced by society and the need for mental health promotion has been further evidenced by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Nations, families and individuals have had their mental health and well-being tested as never before. The treatment of mental illness accrues greater economic costs than any other illness. Those with mental health needs who currently constitute the ranks of the middle class and those who aspire to join that group, need to overcome mental health barriers that are impediments to financial security and the realization of the American Dream.
Questions related to this project should be emailed to Alexander Becraft.
About the project
Well-being Elevated was awarded $500,000 by the Alliance for the American Dream in September of 2020. The alliance’s advisory board awarded the funds after hearing pitches virtually from five teams, from four universities. This funding will help Well-being Elevated further develop its app to address mental health disparities on college campuses. The award is provisional pending legal review and execution of grant agreements.
The team includes professor Ed Diener, a world-renowned expert on subjective well-being and happiness, Carol Diener, a forensic clinical psychologist and U students Alexander Becraft, Michelle Valdes, Merry Joseph, Ryan Jackson, Mitchell Wulfman and Ayana Amaechi.