Together with the Hi, How Are You Project, Coalition to launch new annual Thriving College Student Index on World Mental Health Day surveying more than 800,000 college students

Twenty-four of the nation’s leading college student housing providers are coming together to form the College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition to support students' mental wellness during their college years and help them thrive.

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College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition forms to support mental health with the Hi, How Are You Project (Photo: Business Wire)

The newly-formed Coalition’s first initiative will be to launch an annual Thriving College Student Index on Monday, October 10, 2022 -World Mental Health Day- with a mental health focused nonprofit, Hi, How Are You Project (HHAYP). The survey will be conducted in collaboration with Ipsos, a world leader in research, to poll more than 800,000 college students across the U.S. With actionable data, HHAYP and Coalition members will develop industry-wide peer-to-peer staff training programs, effectively connect residents to established campus resources, and promote ways to manage stress and anxiety in college.

The Coalition’s start comes at a time when one in four college students report being diagnosed with a mental illness and one in five have had thoughts of suicide, according to a study by Depression and Anxiety Journal. ​And according to the Mayo Clinic, up to 75% of struggling students are reluctant to seek help, which increases the risk of harmful outcomes such as dropping out of college, poor academic performance, suicide, and substance abuse.

“The college experience should be one in which all people thrive, learn, and develop in healthy, safe, and positive environments,” said Dr. Sonia Krishna, a board-certified physician in Austin, Texas specializing in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry and Hi, How Are You Project board member. “More than ever before, college students face challenges that make it difficult for them to achieve their optimum mental wellness. Thanks to the support of this new Coalition, the Hi, How Are You Project has a partner in obtaining crucial information to best inform how to help college students thrive personally and academically.”

Charter members of the Coalition include:

• American Campus Communities
• Asset Living
• Balfour Beatty
• CA Student Living
• Caliber Living
• Campus Advantage
• Campus Apartments
• Campus Life & Style
• Cardinal Group Management
• Core Spaces
• Dinerstein
• Greystar
• Landmark Properties
• Michaels Student Living
• PeakMade Real Estate
• Pierce Education Properties
• The Preiss Company
• Redstone Residential
• lRise
• RPM Living
• Student Quarters
• The Scion Group
• University Partners
• Yugo

The Coalition is committed to helping improve the startling statistics associated with mental health issues among college students by understanding its residents, encouraging open dialogues and raising public awareness about the importance of mental health as students work to realize their full potential along their college journey and beyond.

One of The Hi, How Are You Project’s signature initiatives is creating mental health training for staff and residence life programs for college-aged young adults, with national support from American Campus Communities (ACC). For the past four years, the nonprofit and ACC have conducted a College Student Fall Mental Wellness Survey. The Coalition will build on the learnings from this past survey and training experiences to provide new, leading resources for members.

“By uniting as an industry, we have a unique opportunity to help remove the stigma associated with mental health discussions and change the dynamic that can lead to heartbreaking loss among students at the universities we serve,” said Bill Bayless, chief executive officer at American Campus Communities (ACC). “Together as a Coalition, we will use actionable data to prioritize mental wellness and expand our work with the Hi, How Are You Project and other mental health organizations to provide our residents with information and education, including ways to help them effectively engage and ask questions, starting with ‘Hi, how are you?’”

Given the worsening youth mental health crisis, the Coalition is also collaborating with The JED Foundation (JED), a leading national nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults. The Coalition and JED intend to use the survey data to create initiative benchmarks aimed at strengthening university resource connections—ultimately, creating a mental health safety net to help save lives.

To learn more about the new College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition, please visit www.thrivingcollegestudents.org.

About the College Student Mental Wellness Advocacy Coalition

Founded in 2022, the Coalition envisions a world where all young adults thrive thanks to the support of their residential communities that are dedicated to promoting and advocating for mental wellness to facilitate personal fulfillment and academic success. Composed of 24 college student residential housing companies across the U.S., the Coalition is committed to better understanding residents, encouraging open dialogues and raising public awareness about the importance of mental wellness and its impact on students as they work to realize their full potential along their college journey and beyond. .www.thrivingcollegestudents.org

About the Hi, How Are You Project

The Hi, How Are You Project (HHAYP) is an Austin, TX-based 501c3 nonprofit organization with the mission to remove the stigma around mental health, one conversation at a time. The organization aims to educate people worldwide about the importance of mental health and well-being while promoting a culture of inclusion .www.hihowareyou.org

About The JED Foundation

JED is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for the nation’s teens and young adults. It partners with high schools and colleges to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. The organization equips teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other. It encourages community awareness, understanding, and action for young adult mental health. https://jedfoundation.org/

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