SHREVEPORT – Creating a community around empowerment.
LSUS Counseling Services is seeking literary and art submissions from students for its Resilience Through Dark Times exhibit, which will depict resilience through depression or difficult life circumstances.
With September being Suicide Prevention and Awareness month, director of counseling services Kendal Redel aims to collect examples of stories, poems, essays and art to uplift the LSUS student population.
“We wanted to put a twist of empowerment around this month, a creative twist,” Redel said. “We didn’t want to look at it through the lens of ‘I’m stuck and nothing ever gets better.’
“We want students to dig in and reflect on how they have affected change in their life, and how they have felt more power. Doing something creative by itself could be beneficial, but it could also help other students that read or view the work and help them feel less alone.”
The deadline to submit work for the exhibit is Oct. 6, and the exhibit will be displayed starting Oct. 11 on the third floor of the Noel Memorial Library. The opening event runs from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and the exhibit will be on display for about two weeks.
Students can submit work through this Google form link.
Redel’s hope is that the exhibit is just the beginning of a campus conversation around depression and suicide awareness, fostering connections among students and with campus organizations.
“Having any kind of outreach event where students come together is a big deal, and being able to start a discussion on depression and suicide is difficult,” Redel said. “But if students take the time to go through and look at the exhibit, perhaps it fosters some kind of communication about what they are feeling and thinking.
“We’re setting up ways for students to comment on the work via a Google form if they are moved by a piece, and we want to keep communication going while increasing self-awareness and creativity.”
The library is setting up relaxation stations for students who may be affected by the exhibit.
The student organization Active Minds, which promotes mental health, is partnering in the event as well as members submitting exhibit pieces.
“The help and insight from Active Minds has been great,” Redel said. “We want people to think of counseling as more than just talk therapy – it also involves creative outlets.
“Our new counselor Sarah Moreno has a lot of creativity, and we are exploring ways to use students’ creativity as a healthy outlet and coping skill.”
Students can attend an “expression session” to create artwork for the exhibit.
The session is scheduled for Oct. 4 at from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on the third floor of the library. All art supplies will be provided.
