Clarisse BunielA new social media project called the Awkward Conversation Club, and it anonymously posts U of A student experiences with mental health on its Instagram page.
Spurred by Board of Governors representative Mike Sandare last year, the account aims to improve student consultation and mental health on campus. One of the first “awkward conversations” posted on the page dealt with one student’s experience of being sexually assaulted. Sandare said it’s crucial to find the “right balance” when posting stories like this to respect the student’s privacy while still sharing enough to allow readers to meaningfully empathize.
“If a student is uncomfortable with services that already exist on campus, or if they feel they are not a part of the ‘university community’… where are they supposed to find the support that they need?” he said. “My hope is that this will act as a little bit of a catch-all. Someone who accidentally stumbles on the page might read through it and think: that’s exactly how I felt, I’m not alone with that, I’m not the only one.”
Sandare interviews students and posts them on the Instagram page personally. He said he is disappointed with the slow pace of the page’s develoment, but is also satisfied with its current state.
“It would be nice to have a little more content out,” Sandare said. “But I would rather take the hit on content to make sure that the process is sound. If a student is being uncomfortable with what’s being put out, that is the opposite of what I ran for during the elections and the purpose of having an awkward conversation in the first place.”
The project is partnered with the Peer Support Center, and students participating have the option of having a peer supporter in the room during the interviews to help the students feel comfortable.
Students whose stories are posted are either asked to share by Sandare personally, through referral, or by applying through a link on the page.
Sandare sits on both the Board of Governors and the Board of Safety, Health, and Environment Committee (BSHEC). He said he brings the qualitative data he gained from the Awkward Conversation Club to both boards in order to help “discuss how we can create better support in the university.” Part of his campaign platform was to start a system of confessionals to show university administrators what students experience.
“It’s a slow shift,” Sandare said. “They aren’t just taking a bunch of money and moving it over here, but that’s where they want to progress. As great as the preventative services are, this frontline care — things like counselors and therapists — this is very necessary. If a student is already going through a crisis, this is their community.”
As of the time of the writing of this article the Awkward Conversation Club Instagram page has 18 posts and 106 followers. Sandare hopes it can continue to grow both within and beyond his term, becoming more of a movement than just an Instagram page.
“If I’m able to get it to a point where people are just having these awkward conversations instead of shying away from… mental health (issues). If I can get people to start having these awkward conversations, then it’s going somewhere. I want it to go beyond me. I want it to go as far as it can,” he said.
