Award-winning SHOES Project helps combat mental illness and depression
East Carolina University students have partnered with campus departments to present the SHOES Project from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 7 near the cupola on the ECU Mall.
SHOES, which stands for Students Honoring Others’ Everyday Struggles/Stories, is a program intended to help ECU students who may be dealing with challenging times. College students may experience depression, anxiety, stress, addictions or thoughts of self-harm, but may feel isolated and unable to manage their response.
“Our hope is that this program will help students with their struggles, providing them with education and resources, along with hope, encouragement and positivity. We aim to help the campus community be more aware of mental health issues in adolescents and young adults and of the available services and resources,” said Waz Miller, director of residence life.
The SHOES project was first held in 2016. It won the state and regional Program of the Year award from the South Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls and went on to be chosen as the Program of the Year by the National Association of College and University Residence Halls. The program was shared with other campuses at the Association of College and University Housing Officers International conference in Rhode Island in 2017.
Thursday’s event will feature a display of 400 pairs of shoes collected from ECU and Hope Middle School students, each attached to a story of someone struggling with a family situation, medical condition, mental health issue or other obstacles.
In addition to the shoes on display, there will be a Worthy Wall, a chalkboard wall where students can write down the reasons why they are worthy of being loved. Student radio station WZMB 91.3 FM will broadcast live during the event. This year the Residence Hall Association will be including its initiative #DEARECU. This component of SHOES allows students to share their stories through a visual picture that can be taken the day of the event.
ECU students and staff will distribute thousands of positive messages on buses and in campus buildings during the SHOES Project. There will also be a resource table, and the Center for Counseling and Student Development will have counselors on site for participants who would like someone to talk to in a confidential setting.
There will also be a giant purple bear named Soks and hot chocolate and cookies donated by Campus Dining. Participants can share their photos and thoughts using the hashtag #ECUSHOES.
“This is a time of year when students may get stressed, lonely and need a lift,” Miller said. “This is a collaborative effort to bring more awareness to mental health and other issues which college and younger students are facing.”
For more information, contact Waz Miller at 252-328-3632 or millerc@ecu.edu.
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ECU News Services
Howard House, 1001 E. Fifth Street
Greenville, NC 27858
ecunews@ecu.edu
Phone: 252-328-6481
news.ecu.edu
Contact:
Waz Miller, campus living director, 252-328-3632 or millerc@ecu.edu
Nate Cochran, residence hall coordinator, 252-328-6381 or cochrann16@ecu.edu
Bailey Steckbauer, residence hall coordinator, 252-328-4663 or steckbauerb15@ecu.edu
Event Date: Feb. 7 (Rain date Feb. 14)