This past week the of the UW-Whitewater chapter of Active Minds gave students a chance to tell their own mental health story in a unique way.

The Mental Health Monologues included different acts put on by various UW-Whitewater students explaining their experiences with a variety of skits, dances, songs and poems.

For Kelsey Pacetti, sophomore and vice president of fundraising for the org, the turnout of the event for both performers and audience members exceeded expectations, especially with this being the first ever Mental Health Monologue event on campus.

“We had about 20 students participating altogether, but we had 11 acts [and] performances,” said Pacetti. “We had about 68 people in the audience which I consider successful for being the first event like this at UW-W!”

The event, which came to Whitewater from Eastern Michigan University, is designed specifically to give both the performers and the audience a chance to feel comfortable with mental health . This also fits perfectly with Active Minds’ general goal of empowering students to speak out about personal challenges and lessening the stigma around the topic.

“We want others to not feel so alone and isolated,” said Pacetti. “By other students speaking up and being vulnerable it shows that none of us are ever truly alone.”

This idea of making an impact on audience members and other performers alike rang true in each and every performance of the night, especially for freshman and Active Minds member Andie Laube.

“The performances were very powerful and moving,” said Laube. “I am a member of Active Minds and attending the event made me even more proud to be a part of it.”