An Oklahoma Christian University alumna aims to change perceptions of mental health by providing education and resources on the topic through a new non-profit organization rooted in her alma mater.
Jennifer Winton, founder and executive director of U!Shine, Inc, said she started the organization because of a personal struggle with anxiety and depression.
“U!Shine is for every student, not just for the person who’s predisposed to having mental illness,” Winton said. “No one is exempt from struggling mentally. Even if a student isn’t dealing with it personally, they know someone that is because the numbers affected by mental illness are so large.”
According to NewsOK, Oklahoma is ranked second nationally for adults suffering from mental illnesses, with more than 630,000 residents experiencing a form of mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health said three quarters of all lifelong mental illness begin by the age of 24.
According to Winton, the goal of U!Shine is starting education and awareness of mental health early in hopes of reducing the number of crisis situations.
“Oklahoma Christian is my college home and I have an affinity for the campus,” Winton said. “It’s a natural fit for the program to begin here. OC fits the bill for where we want U!Shine to start.”
U!Shine’s mission is dedication to raising awareness, eliminating the stigmas of mental illness and providing an education to build more resilient minds on college campuses. The goal of this non-profit is not to be a counseling or crisis center, but rather to partner with the university.
Winton said the goal is not to overshadow programs already available to students on campus, but rather to enhance them while increasing the conversation and focus on improved mental health.
“Overall, our goal is to change the conversation and culture surrounding mental illness and make it one of hope and encouragement,” Winton said. “We want to shine a light through the darkness that mental illness can bring.”
The U!Shine program plan is organized to work most effectively in a small community environment – with a faculty and staff member – where spirituality can be a part of the conversation about mental health.
“Even getting a psych degree, you’re not exposed to how debilitating mental illness can be,” Jordan Hoffmeister, Oklahoma Christian alumnus, said. “There is fear and misunderstanding of what mental illness actually is. You grow up in the church hearing, ‘oh you can just pray it away,’ but there’s more to it than that.”
Winton said that U!Shine is aimed at encouraging students while breaking mental-illness stigmas and showing college students that a good mental-health treatment plan should be a priority.
“We realize that mental illness can be dark and messy,” Winton said. “But there’s also so much hope through research about the power of the brain, ability to change and be healed. Everyone has the ability to become mentally stronger and build mental resilience.”
Winton said the conversation about mental health should bear the same amount of importance as physical health. According to Winton, if mental health improves and individuals are mentally at their best, everything else improves as a result.
U!Shine will launch in the fall of 2016. The comprehensive plan for the 2016-2017 school year includes seminars, storytelling, spiritual aspects, small-group opportunities, a U!Shine minute and events for all students on campus to attend.
The U!Shine minute will occur weekly in chapel featuring various Oklahoma Christian professors speaking about mental health. U!Shine is also organizing an event named UBlew It for Spring 2017 that will focus on the beauty of failure and the ability to come back stronger because of it.
The education seminars, entitled ULearn, will speak on topics such as social media and mental health, anxiety, depression and eating disorders. The storytelling sessions will be from people who have overcome, or are dealing successfully with, mental illnesses.
U!Shine has Oklahoma Christian faculty members Summer Lashley and Bobby Kern on its board along side of Oklahoma Christian students as advisors on its student board.
Senior Vivian Hoffmeister and her husband Jordan got involved with U!Shine as advisors to Jennifer, who is Vivian’s aunt. Vivian and Jordan both said they thought the program would be beneficial to Oklahoma Christian students and helped connect Winton to students and staff on campus to get involved.
Jordan is adapting a program and workshop, Healthy Brain Healthy Mind, in conjunction with U!Shine to improve mental-health resilience by improving wellness, targeting health behaviors and working toward alleviating negative side effects of stress.
“Seeing the campus be hospitable and recognizing that there is a need to be tending people’s mental health is wonderful,” Vivian said. “Oklahoma Christian being open to having these types of programs on campus is really encouraging, especially as someone who works in residence life, where I’m dealing with students mental health all the time.”
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I’m excited to see this program on campus!! What a great opportunity to educate and support the OC community.
This is so needed! So many people are ignorant of these illnesses. My nephew was diagnosed with schizophrenia. One of his uncles told him he was evil and asked to leave the house.