This feature story looks into on-campus organisations introduced by major universities, which aim to support students. Besides organising activities, the NUS Peer Student Supporters (PSS) launched an online radio station known as ‘Conversations on the Move’, which was hosted by several students with student guests to share about the confusion and doubts they faced. Read the full article here.
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SINGAPORE - The lingering pandemic has effected feelings of immense stress and anxiety like never before. In July, a River Valley High School student was attacked by his fellow schoolmate on campus, in a fatal tragedy that set alarm bells ringing among Singaporeans. The alleged suspect of this shocking axe murder was revealed to have previously received treatment at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) – a revelation that shone the spotlight once again on youth mental health.
Fact is, reports on campus violence had raised just as much widespread societal concern in the past. On top of establishing student welfare departments to look after the total well-being of its student body, local tertiary institutions have also initiated on-campus support groups where members of the teaching faculty and counsellors work with student volunteers, commonly known as “peer helpers”, to proactively reach out to students in need of a listening ear.
NTU students promote peer social interactions at Cozy Hub
In 2009, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) rolled out its Peer Helping Programme (PHP). 20-year-old Iyer Venkataraman Natarajan, team leader of events planning from the previous cohort, said: “Our primary focus were on raising mental health awareness among the student community and providing them with a relaxed environment where they can pour their hearts out. We had a Cozy Hub set up and our peer helpers took on shifts to ensure there is always someone around to engage the students that come here with games and conversations to help them relax.” The PHP team also advocates “Smol Tok” – a popular card game proven to be highly effective in breaking the ice and starting meaningful conversations.
Every month, the team organises events and activities such as art jamming. Peer helpers will prepare all necessary tools so that participating students can enjoy a session of artistic expression even if they do not have any prior fundamental skills or background knowledge. In February, the team launched a trial terrarium workshop which garnered rave reviews.
SMU Peer Helpers rise to the occasion in Covid-19 emergency
At Singapore Management University (SMU), the SMU Peer Helpers have also been highly proactive. When interviewed, 23-year-old student Wang Wen Hao remarked that there were a number of activities for SMU students to take part in every semester, such as workshops on recognising the importance of self-love or using Smol Tok to facilitate relaxed conversations between students. Last year, the team incepted a Crisis Response Team (CRT) dedicated to handling various emergencies that can occur during the pandemic. For example, when student residing at the SMU Prinsep Street Residences (PSR) had to vacate the hostel for emergency use by the authorities as a designated quarantine centre, the CRT moved swiftly to assist the affected students. “At the time, many of the students who had to move out of their hostel rooms were feeling anxious and helpless. So, we arranged for dinner gatherings where we would chat with them to relieve stress levels and share channels for seeking help as well as plausible solutions.” Since its timely introduction, the team has offered crucial support for many students and gelled the SMU student community closer than ever in the process.
“When we took the initiative to approach these students for a chat or a meal during such extraordinary times, I felt a stronger emotional connection with them, like I understood them better. To me, it’s really meaningful,” 21-year-old student Aanya Jain said.
However, despite having created more opportunities for giving and receiving peer support as well as mutual companionship through social activities that foster interactions, students interviewed still expressed hesitations and perceived difficulties in holding campus activities for promoting mental health and emotional wellbeing. Currently, SMU offers dedicated spaces within its campus grounds for students to interact and relax over conversations. But the support from peer helpers often differs from the needs of students seeking a reprieve. “Many of the students seeking help come here in the hopes of getting specific suggestions and actual solutions. But all we can do, is to try to empathise and lend a listening ear,” Aanya explained. While peer helpers may not be able to offer practical help, Wang Wen Hao highlighted a different view, adding that communication is key when facing students that approach peer helpers for a talk – what’s important, he said, is to get them to spill out their worries.
NUS launches student wellness podcast channel
On the other side of town, Peer Student Supporters (PSS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have also been holding an array of courses and activities to engage the student body, including a chat game that went on from January till May earlier this year. Zhang Yuan Jie, 23, flagged that the PSS often organised meditation, painting, music and other workshops to help students reduce stress.
The PSS team has also ventured on a new podcast channel “Conversations on the Move” on Spotify, in a dedicated effort to hold open, online conversations that delve into the nooks and crannies of social relationships. Hosted by a select few NUS students, each episode invites other students to join in the 10-minutes or so discussion by sharing the doubts and challenges faced in their everyday lives.
22-year-old NUS student Ke Xiu Min said: “This podcast series is primarily targeted at clarifying misunderstandings and eliminating prejudices that people may have with regard to mental health; to promote ways of safeguarding mental and emotional wellbeing.” Given that it has become harder for people to interact in real life during this pandemic, Ke thinks that going online with podcasts is a way to attract more attention.
When asked on her decision to join the PSS team despite having to juggle her studies concurrently, Ke replied, “my personal experiences made me realise the importance of mental wellness, thus my decision to join PSS.” Often, peer helpers are driven to lend a helping hand because they have undergone similar experiences or they possess a high degree of empathy which makes them sensitive and caring toward the needs of others around them. For one, SMU students Aanya and Wang Wen Hao both coincidentally mentioned that they had learnt a lot more about mental health through attending workshops arranged by SMU Peer Helpers.
To our understanding, tertiary institutions dedicate resources to ensure that peer helpers receive suffice training via a multitude of mental health courses, so as to clear up any misconceptions that they might have had and empower them to assist and support those seeking their help in more precise, accurate ways. Wu Tong, 19, is one such peer helper. She had joined the NTU Peer Helping Programme as she was interested in acquiring more knowledge on mental health and had hoped to make more friends at the same time through such activities.
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Translated by Office of Student Affairs
This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao (Now), 25 Aug 2021, Page 2. Written by Yan Si Ying (ysiying@sph.com.sg)
