UNAIR NEWS – The Center for Indonesian Medical Students’ Activities (CIMSA) at Universitas Airlangga’s (UNAIR) Faculty of Medicine organized a series of events through its Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH) to commemorate World Mental Health Day 2024. The initiative, aimed at boosting mental health awareness among students, ran under the theme UNSPOKEN (Unveiling Needs, Sharing Paths, Offering Knowledge, Empathy, and Nourishment).
The UNSPOKEN program featured three main events: a pre-event, main event, and post-event, spanning from Tuesday, September 17, to Saturday, October 26, 2024. As a community service program, UNSPOKEN received full support from UNAIR’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) initiative, demonstrating its commitment to public well-being.
Addressing critical issue
Mental health remains a critical concern, especially for young people. According to the 2018 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) report, emotional disorders such as stress, depression, and anxiety affect 9.8 percent of individuals over 15 years old. In response, CIMSA FK UNAIR developed UNSPOKEN through SCOPH to foster greater mental health awareness and understanding.
UNSPOKEN is guided by CIMSA’s slogan, Empowering Medical Students, Improving Nation’s Health, and is led by CIMSA UNAIR President Sean Muhammad and SCOPH President Titania Sophia, with Project Officer Kartika Devina delivering opening remarks.
“UNSPOKEN is a fun, engaging program designed to enhance student awareness of mental health in educational environments. The program includes 40 committee members and 50 participants, with support from Medtools.id, Nirmala Suri, Java Yoga, Wardah, and funding from UNAIR SDGs,” explained Devina.
Series of events
Devina elaborated, “UNSPOKEN offers a range of activities including seminars, workshops, peer counseling training, ground and online campaigns, educational drama, yoga, a donation to LIPONSOS Surabaya, and a public poster competition.”
The program began with a public poster competition themed Depression and Academic Stress: The Role of Peer Counselors in Student Mental Health, which was open to the public from September 17, with winners announced on October 13 during the main event.
The pre-event phase engaged 40 participants and committee members in a training session with Dr. Sheila Maryam Gautama, Sp KJ, on Mental Health: Academic Depression Among University Students. This was followed by a session on How to Be a Peer Counselor led by Public Health Leader Raisah Mayaza Madarina on Friday, September 27. A three-day ground campaign was also conducted, with visits to UNAIR, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, and Universitas Negeri Surabaya.
Main event
The main event, held on Sunday, October 13, at GRAMIK FK UNAIR, gathered 50 students from various universities across Surabaya. The event opened with a Mental Health Educational Drama performed by the committee, followed by a seminar and workshop led by Dr. Damba Bestari, Sp KJ, on Academic Pressure and Depression.
The event concluded with a donation to LIPONSOS (Lingkungan Pondok Sosial) Keputih, Surabaya, which was received by LIPONSOS Keputih Chair Imam Muhaji. “We hope this initiative benefits the broader community and that this donation makes a positive impact on everyone here at LIPONSOS. We encourage the students to continue engaging in positive activities like this,” said Imam upon receiving the donation.
Author: Kartika Devina Putri Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
