Most people who are struggling will tell a friend before anyone else. With stress, anxiety, and depression on the rise among young adults, the upcoming “Send Silence Packing” exhibit will be arriving at the Jean Student Center with the aim of encouraging students to utilize the resources around them to support both themselves and their friends.
A 15-year-old traveling exhibit created by the national Active Minds organization, “Send Silence Packing” is making a stop at Saint Anselm College as a collaboration between the Saint Anselm College Active Minds Club, Student Government Association, Office of Student Engagement and Leadership, College Health Services, and the Respect and Belonging Team (Office for Diversity and Inclusion.)
The program, which involves an interactive backpack display supported by staff and volunteers, visits between 60 and 80 schools each year, providing communities with an impetus for conversations about mental health that center the voices of those who know the struggle first-hand.
Central to the program’s message, according to the Active Minds website, is the idea that “everyday actions can help to create a new and better culture around mental health,” a notion which makes tackling the overwhelming and daunting topic seem a bit more approachable.
Initiatives geared towards mental health support come as the Saint Anselm College community attempts to find ways to deliver better care to their students following the passing of Caroline Rogers ‘25 and Matthew Darcy ‘28.
Jean Couture, Assistant Dean of Students, said that the idea to host the exhibit was first presented by Meagan Lee ’28, President of the Freshman Class. Jocelyn Green ’28, the Vice President of the Class of 2028, said the class council is “proactively addressing mental health concerns, especially within our year, in efforts to destigmatize conversations about it.”
“Having losses within our small, tight-knit community is something we should never stop talking about. Through this event we will continue to push that message,” Green shared. “On behalf of the Class of 2028 Council, I can proudly say that we will never stop promoting mental health and suicide awareness here at Saint Anselm College. Every student here is understood, heard, and loved, and we want to remind them of that every day.”
Nationwide, suicide rates are high, with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reporting that approximately 24,000 students attempt suicide each year. According to a 2023 study from the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 44 percent of college students reported symptoms of depression, 37 percent reported symptoms of anxiety, and 15 percent said they had suicidal thoughts, numbers that indicated a record high in the 15-year-old survey.
Also in 2023, the National Education Association (NEA) reported that 69 percent of college students cited emotional stress. In the same article, the NEA noted that four out of every ten college students considered dropping out of school for this reason.
These numbers are startling, but what makes the situation even worse is that most students don’t seek out support. A 2024 U.S. News/Generation Lab report stated that out of the thousands of surveyed students who experienced mental health issues, only 37% sought out resources at their colleges.
Why? Most students cite fear of stigma, cost, past trauma, and the belief that mental health care won’t actually help them.
This is how students end up in a cycle of isolation; Saint Anselm students want to change that.
Lauren Reilly ’25 is the President of the Saint Anselm chapter of Active Minds. In what she describes as a “truly remarkable and uplifting” planning process that was nothing short of a “team effort,” Reilly hopes the program will “provide hope while fostering community engagement in order to create the message that no one is alone, and we are all here for each other.”
Kristina Wilson, ACSW, LICSW, who works in the College Health Services office and is one of the faces many students meet when taking the step to seek help, wants to help bridge the divide between students and resources: “As a Clinical Social Worker it is important for me that our community understands the resources that are available to them in accessing support,” Wilson shared, “We have several ways our students can step into that support.”
Nursing major and Vice President of Active Minds, Aisling Kelly ’25, explained that “There will be aspects of the exhibit dealing with loss, hope, and support, with volunteers and counselors available at all times.”
Kelly, whose passion for this project stems from from both losing her cousin in 2013 and witnessing family and friends struggle with mental health, says that “this is a topic that everyone at Saint A’s can relate to” and she’s not wrong.
“As both an administrator and an alumna, I see this program as an extension of our Benedictine values—calling us to listen with the ear of our hearts, to recognize the dignity of every individual, and to stand in solidarity with those who may be struggling,” says Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Development & Mission, Susan Gabert ’91, Ed.D.
“Send Silence Packing” will be on display on Wednesday, March 12 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the McCready Event Space and Main Floor of the Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex.
Beyond this, Active Minds is also hosting “Let’s Talk About It,” a new student-led, student-focused program that’s designed to create space for conversation about mental health.
Students seeking support can access help by coming into Health Services to meet face to face with one of the on-campus clinicians, connect with their home providers by using a private Telehealth room in Health Services, access campus-wide telehealth program UWill, and can receive urgent support through UHelp at 603-641-700 ext. 0. Saint Anselm College also has a working relationship with Therapists of Color New England who can be reached at 603-787-3140.