The Bandana Project and If You’re Reading This NOVA hosted an outdoor event on Sheehan Beach on Friday, Oct. 4. The event was planned to give students an opportunity to relax and de-stress with the stress of midterm season and with World Mental Health Day coming next week.
According to the Bandana Project’s website, the Bandana Project is a “program for students that raises mental health awareness, reduces stigma and connects students to mental health and suicide prevention resources.”
The website states that, “Students face many challenges that can significantly impact their mental health, including academic and social pressures, financial concerns, family issues, environmental concerns and/or physical health problems. Additionally, suicide is the third leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 24.”
The Bandana Project’s site additionally says its mission is to “decrease risk of mental health crises and suicide among school age youth through raising awareness of mental health resources and empowering students to reach out for help.”
The event consisted of plenty of games, food and an overall welcoming and friendly mood. Katie Formato, the co-director of the Bandana Project, offered plenty of information regarding the Bandana Project as a whole, as well as the significance of Friday’s event.
“The Bandana Project is a mental health and suicide prevention organization,” Formato said. “When students receive a bandana and put it on their backpack, it is a sign that they support mental health and can be an outlet for someone who may be struggling. Our goal for the Bandana Project at Villanova is to build a community of people and create an environment where students can meet someone new.”
Formato also gave insight into some of the goals that the Bandana Project has.
“[We want to] make on and off-campus learning more accessible to students and help them learn about the available resources,” Formato said. “This semester, the counseling center and the Office of Health Promotion have come to our general body meetings to speak about their available resources. We look forward to having members from other on campus resources and off campus speakers.”
Villanova’s Bandana Project was started in 2021 by three recent graduates, Dayna Deakin, Anna Darling and Hannah Starner. It became a student organization in order to grow its prominence on campus. Because of this, the Bandana Project was able to begin hosting events, speakers and eventually become what it is today. Now, on campus, one can see many students with green bandanas on their backpacks, indicating an ally, a friend or simply someone who cares.
“[On Friday, we wanted to] have an event that brings awareness to mental health and ensures that students are taking care of their mental health, especially during a time that can be stressful, such as midterms,” Formato said. “[The Bandana Project] will definitely have more events this semester and in the spring semester. The event was a huge success, and it was a lot of fun to spend time playing games and talking with other students.”
Formato shared why she is part of the Bandana Project,
“I am so glad I can be a part of the Bandana Project, help share resources on mental health and create events where we can talk about mental health and different coping strategies for your mental health,” Formato said.
