(Isabella Diaz-Mira | Student Life)

The Green Bandana Project, a new student-led initiative that aims to prevent suicide by promoting help-seeking behavior and increasing awareness of mental health resources at WashU, was launched, Feb. 28. 

Students who participate in the project will complete suicide prevention training and become mental health ambassadors for the community. These students will receive a green bandana to show that they are a resource for people on campus who may be struggling with mental health.

“Anyone with a green bandana is automatically a safe space for any student, or truly anyone, on WashU’s campus to go up to and have a conversation about mental health,” said senior Paris Nix, who spearheaded the project. Nix is also a Peer Health Educator (PHE) in charge of suicide prevention at the Habif Health and Wellness Center and a student-athlete on the varsity volleyball team. 

“Ambassadors with green bandanas carry resource cards with them at all times…[so] that [they] can provide support to any student struggling with mental health or curious about seeking out mental health resources,” said Nix. 

The project emphasizes the importance of seeking mental health support and creating a community where that support is accessible. 

“It’s important to reach out and talk to somebody if you need it, and that’s what the Bandana Project is trying to do — show that there is a community, there is a space for you to be able to reach out and ask people for help,” said Bethany Hutchings, Habif’s mental health promotion coordinator and another PHE. 

The project’s ambassadors will connect students with the appropriate mental health resources. They will not serve as professional care providers. 

“If any student were to come to [a green bandana ambassador] in distress, the [ambassador] would not be acting as a medical or mental health professional,” said Nix. “It’s not a form of therapy or professional help at all. It’s just being a peer who you know is a safe person to talk to, who can answer your questions about what resources are available…”

In addition to connecting students with the appropriate mental health resources, it will also raise awareness of mental health issues within the WashU community. 

“It’s also important for decreasing stigma. A lot of the time, people struggle to open up about what they’re dealing with in terms of mental health because they feel like they’re in it alone and that there’s no other people experiencing that as well,” said sophomore Julia Trost.

Nix’s own struggle with mental health as a student-athlete inspired her to bring the Project to WashU. In junior year, Nix was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder by a WashU psychiatrist. 

“Going through my own mental health experience has opened my eyes to the importance of mental health and the role that it plays in our lives,” said Nix.

Unfortunately, Nix’s experience is not singular; she has seen her peers struggle with mental health as well. 

“[These experiences] truly opened my eyes to the need for something to help students feel like it’s okay to reach out to support and for that source of support to connect them to the proper resources,” said Nix. 

The project’s organizers hope that the program will encourage students struggling with mental health to reach out to green bandana ambassadors for support. 

“I hope everyone that’s part of the WashU community knows that regardless of your circumstances or what you’re going through, support is available for you through your peers, through the resources at WashU — that there really is support here for you,” said Nix.

The project’s organizers will be hosting orientation sessions at 4:00 p.m. on March 19 and 5:00 p.m. on March 25 in DUC Room 276. Students who attend will complete suicide prevention training, receive their bandanas and resource cards, and become “green bandana ambassadors.”