Pursuit of Peace

Mental health is a key factor in determining the success of college student. Research from National Data on Campus Suicide and Depression has shown that one in every twelve United States college students makes a suicide plan. As well as “26 percent of students who sought help said they had intentionally hurt themselves; 33.2 percent had considered suicide, numbers high than the previous year” according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State University. Many college students do not feel that their feelings are validated and therefore do not reach out to resources colleges provide. Campaigns for mental health often try to spread awareness in hopes that those suffering will get help, but I would like to try and also reach out to those who do not intend to seek help. I intend to focus on creating coping techniques for students with different mental illnesses and promoting healthier changes to their life to help prevent more unnecessary stress. Pursuit of Peace would be a small non-profit that could create a platform where students can either publicly or anonymously discuss their mental health journeys, or Pursuit of Peace, in a positive online community. Another possible solution I would explore is to create care packages to give the students something tangible to look forward to with information and useful products that could be purchased. In order to get a clearer understanding of the issues our campus at University of the Pacific faces, I would conduct interviews with staff at Cowell Wellness Center as well as surveys for the students about their views on mental health and their own. I would begin a longitudinal survey to collect data before the project and see if there are changes afterwards. I intend to not only increase awareness and provoke healthy discussion amongst University of the Pacific’s campus about mental health but also provide coping techniques and create positive outlets or packages for students. Any profits that would come from these packages would go directly to the National Alliance on Mental Illness organization who provide free support and education nationwide. My target audience would include college students, more specifically at the University of the Pacific. The goal for Pursuit of Peace’s online platform would be to reach out to students and provide a safe space where they feel free to share experiences or spread positivity. As a graphic designer I would like to use color theory to apply concepts of colors and meaning, color harmony its impact on visual experiences, and color context in relations to shapes to enhance the effectiveness of my products