I spoke with Sarah Skaggs WSN's Executive Director and she shared that her initial involvement with Wolverine Support Network was driven by the influence of Covid-19 on her freshman year,,,
What does Wolverine Support Network do?
Wolverine Support Network is a student-run mental health service with the mission -to de-stigmatize mental health conversations around campus while providing free and accessible support to those in need.
What demographics does Wolverine Support Network look to serve?
Sarah cited that WSN does not market to a specific demographic, as it looks to serve anyone interested. They provide support and events to U of M students as well as community events in the larger Ann Arbor community. WSN's services are available to both graduate and undergraduate students and are free of cost, making their services accessible to anyone who wishes to use them.
Can you tell us a little bit about your mission statement/values?
WSN empowers its community to create an inclusive, positive, mental health-centered environment that strives towards community kindness and genuine conversation. They also strive to make mental healthcare more accessible and free of cost to students at U of M.
Sarah, what inspired you to participate in this club?
Sarah joined sophomore year as member of one of WSN's peer-led support groups following her freshman year, 2020-2021, where covid had a profound affect on student life. After a difficult/untraditional start to her life at U of M, Sarah wanted to get involved in WSN to have an outlet for conversation. She cited she had a few friends involved with WSN who urged her to get involved. Sarah additionally cited she found WSN to be a great space to speak anonymously about things you can't necessarily talk about elsewhere. She overall says participating in WSN has been a very positive and powerful experience.
What events/resources does WSN have available?
WSN's main resource is their peer to peer support groups. There are around 40 different groups that meet for 1 hour a week and are completely free of cost. For student's, there are a variety of different groups that allow for compatibility with busy schedules. These groups are led by trained peer facilitators and you are matched so that no one in the group is somebody you know outside of the WSN setting. These groups are free of judgment and open to both graduate and undergraduate students. WSN also hosts completely free & sober campus events open to anyone, including trivia, movie nights, and self-care Sundays!
Sarah, what would you recommend for someone looking to get involved?
If you are interested in joining a WSN peer support group, you can visit their website here. After filling out an interest form, you will be placed by the next week completely cost free. This is especially useful for students that find the CAPS waitlist to be too long or that need immediate support. If you want to learn more about WSN, come to community events! They are open to everyone and are instrumental in contributing to the positive environment WSN seeks to create.
If you are interested in being a peer facilitator, apply! Applications open at the end of march for positions starting the following fall semester. If you are looking for a lower-stress interviewing process, you can also apply to be apart of WSN's organizing team: a team that plans events and tabling, hosts podcasts and creates blog posts for WSN. Applications for the organizing team open at the beginning of each semester.
Sarah, is there anything else you would like to share?
"Focusing on equity, I guess the big point there is that it is cost free to receive support and in instances where other mental health care/services are inaccessible due to cost, WSN is here to help."
Comments