The workshops conducted by Ms. Suzanne Fox on 27th and 28th January 2025 for the students of the MSW & BSW program, brought to light the intrinsic role played by social workers in promoting and safeguarding mental health in communities. The sessions conducted at Acharya Hall, Amritapuri campus, were attended by over 70 students.
Suzanne Fox shared the journey of the Yellow Tulip Project, a nonprofit organization she co-founded with her daughter in 2016, focused on mental health awareness and stigma reduction. The project began after Suzanne’s daughter struggled with depression and the suicides of her friends. Inspired by the idea of planting a garden of hope, they used yellow tulips—representing hope—to raise awareness about mental health. The initiative spread across the U.S. and internationally, creating safe spaces where people could share stories, poems, and music to break the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Through simple community actions like planting gardens, the project emphasizes connection and understanding, offering support and resources to those affected by mental health challenges.
The workshops highlighted that a significantly high percentage of mental health problems affecting young persons are sociologically interlinked with stigma, low awareness, and access to supportive resources. The session taught the students the importance of creating and fostering an open and safe space where individuals could discuss their issues freely without fear of judgement.
The Yellow Tulip Project, led by Ms. Fox, demonstrated to the students that combating mental health stigma can be effectively accomplished through creative and accessible methods such as storytelling, art, and gardening. Such methods emphasize community involvement and creativity in collaboration.
Ms. Fox shared personal insights from her own life, through which the students learned many lessons on early intervention and the role family can play in building mental health. Education and awareness on early-detection of mental illness must be provided to families with children and adolescents. The discussion highlighted that openness in communication and listening to the voice of youth is truly imperative. This insight prompted students to guarantee that in the future, they cater for the needs of the individual but would also include family and support networks involved in recovery.
One of the major takeaways of the session was action-centred advocacy. The ambassadorial program portrayed within the presentation of the speaker was a notable example on how youth-led intervention leads to transformational shifts in the community. This represents the potential of preparing and empowering people, especially the youth, to become mental health champions. Through this program, social work students were given the opportunity to reflect on their capacity to initiate and lead similar programs in their communities. The students were challenged to put their training and knowledge of social systems into practice to develop programs that would encourage participation, reduce stigma, and increase resilience among community members.
Suzanne also reflected on her academic journey, where she studied stigma across cultures, particularly focusing on how mental health is approached in different countries like India. She encouraged students, particularly those in social work, to think critically about the ways mental health is discussed within their own communities and to contribute to breaking down stigma. She emphasized the importance of having open conversations about mental health, highlighting that such discussions are key to providing better support and fostering global understanding.
During the session, she divided the students into ten groups and made to answer the following questions.
The students were really enthusiastic and answered each question through the group discussion. Students come up with different opinions. The whole session was effective and really thought provoking.
