Meet the Committee: Secretary

Take a peek at who our committee members are and what they do for OpenMinds in these short interviews! Today we meet our amazing Secretary, Ellie Fallon!!

Hi Ellie! Can you start by letting us know your year what you study here at uni?

Hey, I'm a third year Psychology student in York!

Can you explain a little bit of what you do as Secretary for OpenMinds?

Basically being Secretary for OpenMinds means I have to keep on top of the emails we receive, I have to book rooms for meetings and Crash Courses, and maintain Social Media accounts and general admin stuff.

So what do you feel is the most important issue with mental health today?

I feel the most important issue with mental health today is the stigma against having a mental health issue and being able to get help if you have a mental health disorder.

And so what’s your top tip on dealing with issues in mental health? (e.g. calming methods, anti-stress techniques etc)

My method to dealing with mental health disorders is a calming method of taking yourself out of the situation which is making you feel stressed, taking deep breathes and returning to a state of calm. Your mental health is more important than the issue you are stressing about.

What has been the best part of volunteering with OpenMinds for you?

The best part about volunteering for me is being able to see the engagement in the classroom from students. Having group conversations with students from all kinds of backgrounds brings home how important mental health education is for everyone. Also, winning the Outstanding Contribution to the City of York Award was pretty cool :)

Finally, what would be your advice to volunteers or anyone wanting to get involved in OpenMinds?

Just drop us an email and I can give you the information you need to get involved with us. Presenting in front of year 10s is a lot less scary than it seems, I promise!