“The HBA program is tough. We know. That’s why we’re here.”
Their website opens with this very straightforward call-to-action.
Like entrepreneurs meeting an untapped ‘need,’ enterprising HBA students have launched a community network, called myHBA, inspired by an increasing demand for stress and mental health support.
The initiative is a multi-service support centre with an online entry-point that offers private access to resources designed for students, by students.
The idea was generated by Eric Fong, who graduated the HBA program in 2014, but is now being executed by a team of peer supporters, a resident blogger, and three student leaders: Micheline Singh, Vanessa Lam, and John Lee.
Students can read personal blogs about stress management; reach out for advice with private emails; find out about in-person events and daily office hours for a one-on-one session with an HBA peer; as well as navigate a directory of professional services offered on campus and in London.
Understanding the stress of a competitive program
All of these touch points come together to create an incredible resource for students, but they also require a significant time commitment from HBA student volunteers. But, as Singh explains, the extra work is worthwhile for the chance to help their fellow students.
“We all have had our own challenges with stress and school work,” Singh, who serves as the group’s External Coordinator, said. “Our drive for the program is that last year in HBA1 we would have really liked to have this. It is why we have peer support hours and check the email often. We want the program to be available to all HBA students.”
While students should never be afraid to talk to faculty or staff about the stress of the program, it’s inevitable that many students do experience that fear. myHBA alleviates that anxiety by giving students an easily accessible peer-to-peer support system.
“The website is really important for a program like this, people have a hard time reaching out to administrators and sometimes even talking to their peers,” Singh said. “[The website] is a way to reach a different type of person who might not be as comfortable talking to people.”
Increasing awareness in the student community
Beyond the website, the myHBA team is also committed to hosting events and offline opportunities for students to talk about the stress of the program. This year, they’ve already coordinated a day in October for all HBA1 students to wear green in honour of mental illness awareness week and hosted a Managing Stress Speaker Panel with three recent HBA alumni. Closer to Christmas, amid final exams, they’re bringing therapy dogs to Ivey to offer a ‘puppy study break’ for students.
When planning future events or enhancing services, the myHBA team looks at the shared experiences of HBA students to decide where there is a need. For example, if sleep deprivation is being flagged as an issue students are constantly bringing up in office hours, myHBA might host a session on time management. In order to do this effectively, the team needs to get more students aware of the program’s presence and, more importantly, comfortable talking about their mental health.
“Other students have often been through what you’re going through,” Singh said. “It can really help to have peers that are able to relate to your experiences.”
Ivey students gather for World Mental Illness Awareness Week photograph
