DCD_MHP took to instagram for our event, Making Mindful Posters. We posted a story on instagram challenging our viewers to collaborate and create posters they felt embodies mindfulness and maintaining a positive mental health. Our peers were able to come together and dm us numerous posters. We then created our own poster with our slogan, Mind Over Matter. We posted a poll on instagram with all of the posters so our viewers could vote on which was the best. The winner was given the opportunity to have their poster hung up throughout the school. This event helped us implement peer support in the lives of our fellow peers as they collaborated, while also promoting self care in the messages of the posters. Thankfully, the team at DCD_MHP took the win on this one. 

The team at DCD_MHP took multiple days to go around the school conducting short informal presentations to many homerooms and introducing our social media campaign. We were able to spread awareness to our risk factors, academic pressure and social factors, by establishing an open discussion with fellow classmates to remove the stigmas surrounding these terms. This event also coincided with our protective factors, peer support and self care, as we showed our peers numerous methods to maintain their mental health, while encouraging them to discuss their thoughts with each other during the presentation. Finally, this event not only gave us an opportunity to discuss and implement our risk+protective factors in our peers' lives, but it also allowed to expand our audience within our community and promote our various social media accounts. 

The day our school resumed after Thanksgiving break, the boys set up shop in our school's Innovation (computer) Lab at 8 am sharp for MHP Reset Day. We held this event to provide our peers with a safe and calming environment, along with an opportunity to relax, reflect, and ease into the school week. We knew coming back to school would be stressful for many, especially because of mid-term exams coming up. This was a breeding ground for academic pressure, one of our identified risk factors, that can interfere with students' mental health. To combat this, we invited our peers to enjoy snacks like donuts while playing board and card games, activities known to increase brain stimulation and help maintain positive mental health. Students were able to play games together and hang out with their fellow peers, exemplifying peer support. Finally, we encouraged everyone that showed up to write one thing that helped their mental health during break on a sticky note, shown in the image with the board to the right. 

In collaboration with the Pre-Med club, dcd_mhp held a a community event inviting students to knit and just enjoy each others company. This event encouraged community building and we aimed for it to teach students the importance of peer support. These blankets were then donated to the less fortunate, underlining the significance of helping others/philanthropy, which is another factor we found beneficial to one's mental health. We chose knitting because it's an activity that can contribute to upholding mental health as it's proven to reduce anxiety and relax the mind. 

Our "Sticky Notes of Gratitude" event, consisted of students writing positive messages and leaving them around the school in hopes someone read them and it put a smile on their faces. The followers that took pictures of their sticky notes and sent them to us had the opportunity to be featured on our instagram and website. This event reinforces our "peer-support" protective factor, as this encouraged students to spread kindness to their peers and create a more mindful environment. It was an event part of our Week of Wonderment, which will be explained further in depth. 

DCD_MHP held a bake sale in their school to raise money for the SAM Foundation. Our instagram was used to promote this event. We hoped for this to raise awareness and generate funds for an organization that was genuinely interested in making a change in the world of Mental Health.

On this day, DCD_MHP volunteered to help set up and carry out the Student Heart Check at Romulus high school. Student Heart Check is a public health initiative done exclusively by Beaumont Hospital to screen high school athletes for heart conditions prior to their participation in sports. This is an event that occurs twice every year and done by the kindness of these physicians' hearts as it's completely free and accessible for all in the area. In our research, we found there to be a correlation between health disease and the developing of mental health conditions, which is one of the reasons why we decided to volunteer at this event. Not only that, but the team at DCD_MHP was able to gain real-life experience on how doctors deal with patients, learning skills that can be used when talking to those suffering with anxiety and other mental health diseases. 

DCD_MHP partnered with our school's Mens Sana Club, an organization at our school dedicated to maintaining the well-being of students and encouraging positive mental health. Together, we created the Relaxation Station, an area in our school's library. At any time throughout the school day, students can go into the room to lie down on a bean bag, work together with their classmates, draw or color, or even sleep. Focusing on the aim of our campaign, anxiety among high schoolers, we added a coloring book, especially for anxiety relief. The room is dimly lit with windows that can be covered by blinds to aid in setting the relaxed vibe of the room, encouraging mindfulness and positive mental health. 

DCD_MHP recently collaborated with the school's Botany Club, a club committed to fostering a love for plant cultivation and environmental stewardship among students Dr. Jackson, a biology teacher at our school, shared her insights on the therapeutic aspects of gardening and its positive impact on mental health. Afterward, students had the chance to get their hands dirty by potting their own plants in the greenhouse. The highlight of the day was the 'Adopt a Plant' initiative, where students could take a plant home, with the aim of nurturing their botanical companion as a practice in mindfulness and stress relief. We hoped that students gained a deeper appreciation for the quiet comfort that plants can bring into our lives.