The Bandana Project

Background: There are more than 1,000 suicides on college campuses annually in the United States. Before graduation, 1 in 10 students will have considered suicide. Students aged 15-24 are in the highest risk group for a majority of mental illnesses, though 1 in 4 will not seek help or treatment. This trend must stop, and it starts with The Bandana Project. When students receive a bandana, we will give them 3-5 resource cards to always carry with them should they be approached. 
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Purpose: The Bandana Project is a program designed to spread awareness of resources for those with mental illness. The lime green bandanas, to be distributed across campus, are attached to students’ backpacks. This indicates that they are a safe individual to approach with mental health-related issues, that they know where resources are, and that they hold a few resource cards (provided by the UWPD) with outlets to get help and support in times of crisis such as UHS, NAMI-UW, and National Crisis Lines. Not only does the program give tangible resourcefulness to an individual, but provides invaluable unspoken support. If someone sees a lime green bandana on the backpack of a stranger, it is a sign of stigma-free, quiet solidarity. They will know that they are not alone in their struggle.