Young female athletes engaged and participated in a workshop surrounding mental health, physical health, self-care, and mindfulness, focusing on the perspective of being a student athlete, a woman, and the challenges that come with it. Through conversation, sketching, brainstorming, and reading, athletes will discuss on what it means to be a young student athlete; the end goal will be an accumulation of pins they made/designed with their peers, that were inspired by positive affirmations and mindfulness practices discussed during the workshop, as well as their own self positive mantras.

Pins made by myself and the students athletes were sold together both online and locally in Brooklyn, making $250 with all profits donated to the Women’s Sports Foundation!

Overview of the Workshop!

1. Introduction

2. Discussion of mental health amongst student athletes: view TedTalk by 2020 USC Libero, Victoria Garrick Browne

3. Bring in treating your body with proper nutrition, mindfulness, and mental health exercises/tips, anxiety, etc*

4. Discussion

Questions and Reflections

How do the student-athletes feel? What stresses them out? How do they feel emotionally during the season —----> What would help them? What kind of support do they want? What would they want coaches, parents, and/or peers to know? How can they help? How do they navigate feelings of stress/being overwhelmed? Do they feel well-equipped with resources? How do they use community to uplift themselves?

1. Draw, write, or both, to respond to these questions. Use paper and supplies provided. Before they begin to work, describe how these will be made into a zine that will explore these emotions and feelings. It is part of a collaborative zine that they’ll each get a copy of.

5. Button-making! Student-athletes are encouraged to make as many buttons as they’d like, of whatever they’d like, but with an overarching theme of self-love, self-care, mental health reminders, important mantras to them, etc.*