On September 6, 2024, Vinh University of Technical Education (VUTED) successfully held the first “Mental Health Calendar” (MHC) event, attracting the participation of approximately 900 first-year students. This event was part of the VUTED’s program for new students, co-organized by the VUTED’s MentalHigh Project Team and the Student Affairs Office. It is one of a series of activities under the MentalHigh project, part of the Erasmus+ program funded by the European Union, aimed at raising awareness of mental health in universities in Southeast Asia.
The event lasted 90 minutes and featured a keynote presentation by Ms. Pham Thi Ngoc Lan, head of the VUTED’s research team. The presentation focused on helping students recognize the signs of common mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, while also providing strategies for supporting themselves and their peers in their academic and personal lives.
Between the two sections of the presentation, there were dynamic interactive activities that encouraged students to chant positive slogans like “MentalHigh – Healthy mind, better learning,” creating a lively and cohesive atmosphere among the students.
After the program concluded, students participated in event feedback through QR code scanning, and the event received very positive responses from the attendees.
The “Mental Health Calendar” event provided valuable knowledge and practical skills, significantly contributing to creating a healthy learning environment that supports students’ comprehensive physical and mental development. Building on this initial success, the MentalHigh project will continue to implement more meaningful activities in the future.