KPU student collects creative works for mental health project
Indiana Patterson is showcasing mental health through creative works for his advanced psychopathology class
KPU student Indiana Patterson is collecting students’ creative pieces about mental health for a collaborative body of work to raise awareness. (Abby Luciano)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University student Indiana Patterson is collecting students’ creative pieces about mental health for a collaborative body of work intended to connect students.
Patterson is accepting submissions for all kinds of work relating to mental health including poetry, prose, essays, short stories, lived experiences, illustrations, paintings, drawings, and photographs.
By publishing the students’ work, Patterson hopes to raise awareness about mental health and acceptance through sharing personal stories. The project will also bring students together through their struggles and triumphs in relation to mental health.
“The goal is to share [the project] with the students and raise awareness about mental health and their shared experiences,” Patterson says.
Post-secondary students in Canada are struggling with their mental health, which worsened with the pandemic, according to the the The New Abnormal: Student Mental Health Two Years Into COVID-19 report by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC).
In 2018, 62 per cent of youth in Canada felt good about their mental health, however now after the pandemic the number decreased to about 40 per cent.
“It was something I am interested in myself, like writing and just art in general. [It’s] a great way for a lot of people to express themselves and I thought about an opportunity to share work amongst other students that would be welcomed by them.”
With the pressure of school, students can feel isolated, and Patterson says the project provides an outlet for them to feel connected with one another.
“Although many of us feel alone at times, by sharing our stories, it is my hope we will come to realize that we are in fact all in this together,” Patterson wrote in a follow-up email to The Runner.
He hopes students learn they are not alone in their mental health struggles.
“Even if you are not confident with your work, it could be the piece that inspires somebody to keep fighting another day,” Patterson wrote.
Patterson says he appreciates every submission from students, as well as faculty, and aims to publish all the work he receives. The only criteria for submission is that the work must be related to mental health.
Those who wish to submit their work can reach out to him at indiana.patterson@student.kpu.ca or submit the work to their instructors which will later be collected by him. Submissions can be kept anonymous if indicated by the student.
“I believe that each of us has something to offer, and I would highly encourage anybody with the slightest inclination to participate to do so,” Patterson wrote.
After the pieces are collected, the book will be available for display in the KPU library.
