Faculty Mentor/s:
Khanjan Mehta, Creative Inquiry
Students on the team:
Project Description:
In the Lehigh Valley area, there are at least 60 organizations dedicated to mental health care, yet currently, there is a 600:1 resident-to-mental health care provider ratio. It takes about 4-8 weeks for individuals to connect with a licensed provider, and in that time, patients’ mental health often deteriorates. Mindfull is an aspiring social enterprise that aims to streamline access to mental health care by helping individuals identify, connect, and follow through with mental health resources such as peer support networks and community spaces in the Lehigh Valley. We’ve created a prototype of, and seek to develop, a website that is grounded in stakeholder collaboration, validated by community leaders, and designed for people from all walks of life. It was founded on three pillars, (1) community engagement, (2) contextual specificity, and (3) cultural sensitivity. As a team, we want to connect individuals to take charge of their own mental health, strengthen their communities, and be their own agents of change. The next year will involve further developing and marketing the website prototype, networking and conducting interviews with various stakeholders, and hosting a one-day conference to facilitate new initiatives. All majors are welcome, but we are particularly in need of students with any of the following skills: web development, marketing, journalism, story-telling, and qualitative research.
Month/Year Project Began: