A new online knowledge center offers expert information on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of students of color. It was created by the Steve Fund, a nonprofit focused on student of color mental health issues and is available free of charge.
“Our goal is to provide carefully vetted information on how to better support the mental health and emotional well-being of students of color,” says Evan Rose, president of the Steve Fund, adding: “We are thrilled to launch this new resource during July, which is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.”
In addition to education professionals, the Steve Fund Knowledge Center also targets students and parents, among others. It includes more than 30 video expert presentations, Webinars, expert interviews and white papers with titles such as “What Parents of College Students of Color Need to Know” and “What We Know About the Mental Health of Students of Color during College.”
Studies show that students of color at American colleges and universities are often less likely to seek help when they feel depressed or anxious. They report more micro-aggressions than their European American counterparts.
According to a Harris poll, they are nearly twice as likely to report feeling less emotionally prepared when they first started college compared to their peers. Only 49 percent of African American students complete their four-year college education, compared to 71 percent of White, non-Hispanic students, according to a CollegeBoard report.
“The current Steve Fund Knowledge Center is just the beginning,” says Stephanie Bell Rose, a co-founder of the Fund. “Our vision is to go from 30 to hundreds of expert content items and become a crucial resource for anyone trying to improve support for the mental health and emotional well-being of students of color.”
For more information, visit the Steve Fund Knowledge Center at www.stevefund.org/knowledgecenter.
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