Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the University adapted to host its fifth annual “Fresh Check Day” to promote mental health, wellness, and prevention of student suicide on Thursday, April 23, via YouTube.
Fresh Check Live was held at 3 p.m., and Fresh Check After Dark at 8 p.m. During the live event, nearly 90 participants took part in five brief sessions — centered around body image, suicide prevention, wellness, mood, and mental health — concluding with a virtual dance party.
The Fresh Check After Dark featured taped sessions, viewable via YouTube, each of which was viewed by approximately 100 individuals.
“The Fresh Check Live committee was determined to provide a Fresh Check Day experience,” said Julia Nedry, the Counseling Center’s senior manager of outreach. “Over the last five years, the Fresh Check Day has become a positive part of the Westfield campus culture, and now, more than ever, it’s so important to shine a light on mental health. We hope that students, faculty, and staff felt our positive energy, learned something and that Fresh Check Live had a destigmatizing impact. We want people to be open about mental health, know how to support their loved ones, and feel good about seeking help if they need it.”
Fresh Check Day is the signature program of the Jordan Porco Foundation, a national charity dedicated to inspiring hope, preventing suicide, and promoting mental health in teenagers and college-age students.
The Foundation supports efforts to provide engaging and uplifting programs emphasizing peer-to-peer interactions promoting help-seeking behavior, self-care, and overall coping skills.