My name is Kathleen Hepworth. I am a senior at Iowa State University studying public relations and technical communication. I became involved with the Eradicate Hate Global Summit through my experience as a collegiate finalist for the Fall 2023 Invent2Prevent Competition. My team’s project, MIND SPACE, is an initiative that seeks to prevent targeted violence and school shootings by reducing social isolation, an identified risk factor to school violence. The purpose of MIND SPACE is to build a connected community where seeking help for mental health has no stigma and people feel empathetic and empowered to assist those around them find help for their mental wellbeing. Our early research indicated that students learn about mental health resources primarily from their peers, which is why our team developed a physical space on campus for students needing privacy. In this private space, students can take telehealth calls, unwind from stress, take a nap, or do whatever they need to be proactive about their mental health. The wellness space is intended for students not only to use themselves, but a place to refer their peers to when they may need a space to themselves to help treat their brain.

MIND SPACE won 1st Place at the Fall 2023 Invent2Prevent Competition. The impact our project made nationally as well as on campus resulted in a formal collaboration with Iowa State’s Student Wellness organization to implement more permanent wellness spaces on campus. This collaboration is the current state MIND SPACE is in, and I am so excited to introduce more mental health-friendly spaces on campus to reach more students and ultimately build a connected community where there is no stigma surrounding seeking help for mental health.

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