The annual Building Bridges conferences are nothing new to the Gustavus community. Previous topics include issues such as The Grassroots Movement (2017), The War on Drugs (2016), and Rape Culture (2015). What is new for the Gustavus community is this year’s specific connection of social justice and psychological science.
The 2018 conference titled “Mental Health: Exploring the Unacknowledged Civil Rights Journey” highlights a focus of mental health. Co-chair and Senior Psychology Major, Liz Toeben, alongside co-chair Quinn Anderson, has devoted countless hours preparing for this year’s conference. She hopes the speakers, as well as interactive experiences offered, will inspire other psychology majors, and the general public, to act and speak up against the stigma surrounding mental illness. Toeben is hopeful the conference will be a starting point for discussion within “the Gustavus bubble,” then grow further as individuals carry their new knowledge to varying places in the future.
Psychological Science is given a specific focus, which makes the conference especially impactful for other Gustavus students pursuing psychological science majors and minors. The conference, as a whole, can give insight into possible career paths, but can also be highly related to courses offered at Gustavus Adolphus College that are required for a psychology major or minor. Toeben specifically touched on the importance of the course Abnormal Psychology, in that the potential knowledge students can gain creates realization of the facts behind mental illnesses, not just the stereotypes represented through today’s media. The conference helps bridge the facts of mental health with the facts of social justice, leading to an overall call to action empowering individuals to communicate about their mental health without fear.
The conference will consist of two keynotes speakers, bringing different viewpoints to the social justice issues surrounding mental health. There will also be numerous interactive experiences throughout the day allowing attendees to accumulate hands-on knowledge through visual and physical activities.
As well as obtaining tickets for the conference, individuals are encouraged to view the live streaming of both keynotes speakers and the highlighted panel. More information specifically of Liz Toeben’s anticipations and reflections regarding the conference can be found in her interview with MinnPost.
Submitted By: Laryssa McLouth ’18