As we come into the middle of the spring semester, Sister Support Ambassadors has
grown both as an organization and as a community. At our meetings we have covered various topics about mental health and mental wellness. We have also had in depth discussions about topics ranging from anxiety, depression, and other disorders. Our goal is to address the realities of mental illness and how Ambassadors can destigmatize many of the struggles we commonly face as women and as students in a high stress, rapid environment. The Ambassadors attend training and practice how to have hard conversations and how to be the support system of UF Panhellenic. Furthermore, SSA has begun to promote mental health and wellness awareness and provide resources to the Panhellenic Chapters. For example, Ambassadors have put up fliers and shared contact information to their respective Chapters and have posted resources and information on their social media for events such as Eating Disorder Awareness Week.
In order for Sister Support Ambassadors to be the community Panhellenic women can rely on, we have also created a group of women bonded in being there for one another and growing as individuals together. SSA held an event dedicated to looking at the best in one another, where Ambassadors had time to walk around and write on one another’s backs. This activity not only gave each Ambassador something to look back on when they need confidence and encouragement, but also showed each person how important they are to one another. To kickstart April, Sister Support Ambassadors held a retreat where Ambassadors and the Executive Board spent time away from stress and distractions to be with one another, be creative, and unwind. From decorating journals to creating moodboards, each Ambassador got the opportunity to create something from within themselves and share it with one another! Not to mention, we also had a blast eating some Chick-Fil-A chicken minis and having a fantastic photo shoot!
Sister Support Ambassadors is also starting to make strides with other Greek
organizations and has so much planned for the future. We have had events like Galentine's cards in February, Around the Row tabling in March, and will have collaborations with Thrive IFC as well as Panhellenic DEI and ADB! April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, so these collaborations will be focusing on these topics. We recently had a paired training with SSA and Thrive, where ambassadors learned all about interpersonal dating violence and what we can do to identify and combat it. Soon, our ambassadors will be working together for future events, so we can spread the word about other mental health topics to various audiences. Stay tuned for events with Thrive that anyone will be able to attend! Our collaboration with ADB
and DEI will also focus on Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention, where members of
Panhellenic will be invited to listen and ask questions to speakers.
“We have so many exciting events and collaborations happening this month! Our
collaborations with ADB, DEI, and Thrive are really allowing us to facilitate conversation about such important topics. I am so honored to be a part of this organization that allows us to keep spreading awareness about mental health and wellness awareness and I cannot wait for everyone to see what we have in store for the future! Stay tuned!”
- Chelsie Klingensmith, SSA Director of Programming and Outreach