Following the success of last year’s pilot project of a Mental Health First Aid Course on campus, The Malta Trust Foundation has collaborated to provide more identical courses at UM, MCAST and other institutions around Malta. The courses will be taught by Richmond Foundation and will be provided free of charge. This project aims to move towards an ideal where mental and physical health are valued equally.

These courses are for anyone. In that, they enable students that are not in psychology or medical courses to learn about mental health and how to tackle related issues. The project is led by The Malta Trust Foundation, a non-profit chaired by President emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca. Numerous local student councils also collaborated on this project, including KNZ, KSU, KSM, ITSC, and SRC.

This project is needed for many reasons…

Her excellency was present at this Wednesday’s project launch and praised the respective student councils for collaborating on this initiative. KNZ tackled a stigmatized topic and acted on it, she said. The project is once again a portrayal of the Maltese people’s generosity. It is being done by the students and for students and shows that we care for each other.

I admire you that you are willing to carry this responsibility and prove a point even to us, the older generations.

H.E. Marie Louise Coleiro Preca

She admitted that even she feels that sometimes her ‘usual pep talk’ is not enough to help an individual going through a rough time. Technical training is needed for anyone to capably help their friends or family dealing with mental health issues. Individuals would rather confide in close friends rather than talk to professionals who they see as strangers because the stigma is still strong.

Image Credit: The Malta Trust Foundation

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We shouldn’t leave even one person who is feeling lonely in their mental state 

Everyone is constantly battling their own demons, especially students that have to face the stress of deadlines and exams. But sadly, we have to fight these battles on our own as the stigma against mental health is still strong.

Today, mental health awareness is still sparse, let alone how to practically approach mental health issues. This why more accessible Mental Health First Aid Courses like KSU’s are so important.

KSU have just successfully closed off their first ever course for Mental Health First Aid last Saturday. They have topped off their success by announcing a second course, again in collaboration with Richmond Foundation and the President’s Trust. We talked to KSU, the President and students themselves to listen to why they think courses like these are valuable and even essential especially today.

Although already studying psychology, the students commended the course nonetheless for providing essential tools to control crises and calm panicked situations. Topics that may have already been studied in lectures “were tackled from a different perspective – that of a first aider”. The course enables you to listen non-judgmentally and give support and information. One student even claimed to have already made use of what she learnt:

Only this week it happened that one of my university friends needed the first helping hand as they were going through a psychological crisis.

The KSU social policy office explained to us how they believe that “it is imperative to tackle the constant struggle students face” because of the pressure induced from academic life. This is why they were delighted to say that H.E. the President of Malta has offered to help KSU organise another mental health first aid course for yet another 20 students. They encourage more student to apply so that they can make the change in their friends’ and family’s lives.

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