Campus is that one place where people of different backgrounds come together for a certain period of time pursuing a common goal in form of academic excellence.
Whereas the goal may be the same, expectations, experiences and outcomes differ for different people. To some it’s all fun and party after party whereas to others, well the opposite of party.
One of the hardest and realist experiences of being at campus is keeping it together, so i have learnt. It’s only at campus where you will hold the latest iPhone, trend on twitter and hang with the coolest people at college, and still go back to hostel in the evening and take tea without sugar accompanied with a rolex.
There are so many people living with masks on (ain’t we all anyway), very many people dealing with real life issues that you have no clue about even, and certainly very many people hurting on the inside.
Of recent, some of our fellow campusers and recent graduates have lost their lives to depression.
Depression, is such a harmless word so it looks like and yet very deadly, since it’s a personal and silent battle. Sadly it shall continue like that for a long while because people are afraid of speaking out, seeking for help because of the fear of how they will be perceived.
Just like you are not afraid to go to a clinic to have yourself tested, campusers should embrace seeking help, because at the end of the day, life is hard for everyone, it only gets better when you know you are not alone.
I recently found out a friend of mine had started a movement called Broken Vessel which is aimed at addressing the emotional needs of the youth, and I must say, it is different. How is it different?
Broken vessel is an online community that is dedicated to creating a platform for people struggling with depression to speak out and get help. They have this strategy where if you need someone to just talk to you about an issue and yet you don’t want the judgemental reaction your friends may give you, you contact them, they pair you with someone to just listen to you depending on the boundaries you have specified for them.
The people you are paired with are volunteers who mostly have had stories of depression and overcome and went on sign up as listener volunteers so they can be able to help someone else, they go through an online course intended to teach them how to listen how to actually just be there for people in that state, whereas some are individuals with a heart for community and people’s wellness. And for privacy’s sake, you sign a confidentiality agreement before you are allowed to volunteer as a listener.
The listener volunteer is required to give weekly feedback to the admins of the community so as to know there is progress, and if it’s revealed that you need to speak to a professional counsellor, Broken Vessel pairs you with one of the professional counsellors who have partnered with them.
I spoke to the founder and he revealed to me that in such cases, Broken Vessel intends to clear over 50% of the bill the professional counsellor may charge you. Sounds cool right?
He says ithe discount is to encourage more people to speak up, and its 50% not the full fee because they intend to empower people on how to deal with depression in the long run. This however is not yet in place as they are still looking for partnerships to make this happen.
Do not suffer with the scars of real life issues alone, someone else has been through the same and they made it through. Reach out to broken vessel through their email support@brokenvessel.freshdesk.com or just visit there social media pages @brokenvesselug for both Twitter and Facebook and send them a message.
If you have a story to tell and feel you can be a useful addition to this cause, or you are a professional counsellor or you just want to be a help in any capacity, Find out more information from www,brokenvesselonline.github.io/get-in-touch/
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