Country of Residence
Nigeria
Age
20
Project title
MIND MATTERS
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
MIND MATTERS is a student-led mental health and well-being initiative that equips university students with the knowledge, peer support, and resources to recognize mental health challenges, have open conversations, build healthier coping habits, and connect to appropriate professional support—creating a more informed, supportive, and mentally healthier campus community.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
The spark for MIND MATTERS came from a mental health awareness programme I hosted on campus last session. I initially saw the programme as an opportunity to create awareness and encourage students to take their well-being seriously. However, during the conversations, I noticed something that stayed with me: many students had experiences and concerns they rarely talked about openly. What struck me most was that students did not simply need information. They needed safe spaces to talk, people who would listen without judgment, practical knowledge about managing challenges, and clear pathways to appropriate support. That was my “Aha!” moment. I realized that if one programme could create such meaningful conversations, a consistent student-led initiative could potentially reach and support many more students. I began thinking beyond organizing a single event. I wanted to create something that would continue listening to students, equip them with reliable mental-health knowledge, encourage healthy coping, reduce the stigma around seeking help, and connect those who need it with appropriate professional support. That experience inspired MIND MATTERS: an initiative built on a simple belief that students should not have to struggle silently, and that creating a healthier campus community can begin with students caring for and empowering one another.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
University students often face intense academic pressure, financial difficulties, loneliness, uncertainty about the future, relationship challenges, and other pressures that can affect their mental health and overall well-being. Yet many students struggle silently because they do not know where to seek help, feel uncomfortable discussing their experiences, or do not have access to simple, reliable information about mental health and available support. This problem matters to me because I have seen how easily students can appear fine on the outside while carrying challenges they rarely discuss. Through the mental health programme I hosted on campus, I witnessed students engage in conversations about issues that are often kept private. It showed me that the need is not only for occasional awareness programmes, but for continuous opportunities to learn, connect, speak openly, and access appropriate support. I believe a student's well-being is closely connected to their ability to learn, participate, build relationships, and reach their potential. MIND MATTERS aims to help create a campus culture where mental health is taken seriously, seeking help is not stigmatized, and students are empowered to support one another responsibly while knowing when to connect with professional help.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
MIND MATTERS is a student-led mental health and well-being initiative designed to move beyond one-time awareness programmes and create a continuous culture of care on campus. The project will begin by listening to students through anonymous surveys, small-group conversations, and feedback sessions to understand the major well-being challenges they experience. The findings will guide the topics and activities we prioritize, ensuring that our interventions respond to real student needs rather than assumptions. We will recruit and train a team of student Well-being Ambassadors. They will be equipped with basic knowledge of mental health, active listening, responsible peer support, recognizing when someone may need additional help, and how to connect students with appropriate professional or institutional services. They will not provide therapy or attempt to replace trained professionals. MIND MATTERS will also organize regular student dialogue sessions and practical workshops on areas such as managing academic pressure, stress, emotional well-being, healthy relationships, self-care, and knowing when to seek help. These conversations will provide students with safe opportunities to learn and share experiences without judgment. We will complement the physical activities with simple digital resources and campaigns that make reliable mental-health information and available support easier to access. Most importantly, students will help shape the project. Their feedback and experiences will guide future activities, while participation and outcomes will be tracked to understand what is working. Our goal is to build a sustainable student-led support network that can continue beyond individual events and empower students to care for their own well-being.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
MIND MATTERS is at an early stage, but the idea is rooted in an experience that showed me the potential for student-led mental-health initiatives. Last session, I hosted a mental health awareness programme on campus, bringing students together for conversations about emotional well-being, academic pressure, stress, and the importance of seeking support. The active participation and openness of students showed me that there is a real need for continued conversations and accessible support. Through MIND MATTERS, I hope to build on that experience and create a more sustainable impact. During the initial pilot, I aim to reach at least 300 students through awareness activities, listening sessions, and digital resources; train 20 student Well-being Ambassadors; organize regular dialogue and learning sessions; and develop practical pathways that connect students to appropriate professional and institutional support. Beyond these numbers, success will mean students becoming more comfortable discussing mental health, recognizing when they or their peers may need help, knowing where to find reliable support, and feeling less alone in their struggles. I will measure participation, feedback, knowledge gained, and the use of available support resources to understand the project's effectiveness and improve it over time.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
MIND MATTERS is different because it moves mental-health support from occasional awareness activities to a continuous, student-led system of listening, peer connection, education, and referral. Many campus mental-health programmes are organized as one-time seminars or campaigns where experts share information with students. While these programmes are valuable, the conversation often ends when the event ends. MIND MATTERS is designed to continue beyond the event by creating a network of trained student Well-being Ambassadors who can help sustain conversations, share reliable information, identify when a peer may need additional support, and connect students with appropriate professional or institutional services. Another innovative aspect is that students will not simply be the audience; they will help define the problems and shape the solutions. Through anonymous surveys and listening sessions, we will identify the well-being issues students are actually experiencing and use the findings to determine our priorities. This creates a feedback-driven model rather than assuming that one solution will work for everyone. We will also combine physical conversations with simple digital tools, allowing students to access mental-health information, resources, and opportunities for support beyond scheduled events. Most importantly, MIND MATTERS connects three things that are often separated: student voice, peer action, and professional support. Students can speak about their experiences, trained peers can provide responsible first-line support and guidance, and professional services remain available for needs beyond the role of peers. The model is simple, and affordable making it possible to pilot at LASU.
How many people are on your team?
1
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I currently lead MIND MATTERS as its founder and project lead, responsible for developing the idea, coordinating activities, and building partnerships. As the project grows, I plan to recruit 20 Student Well-being Ambassadors with diverse backgrounds to help with outreach, student listening, communications, event coordination, and research. Leadership will be shared by giving team members ownership of specific activities and involving them in decisions, project planning, and evaluation.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next three months, my priority will be to turn MIND MATTERS from an idea into a structured pilot at Lagos State University. First, I will speak with students and relevant stakeholders to better understand the major mental-health and well-being challenges students experience. I will use anonymous surveys and small listening sessions to gather this information and identify the areas where the project can have the greatest value. Next, I will recruit a small group of committed students from different faculties and backgrounds to form the first team of Well-being Ambassadors. With support from qualified mental-health professionals or relevant organizations, I hope to provide them with basic training in active listening, mental-health awareness, responsible peer support, boundaries, and referral pathways. I will then launch the first MIND MATTERS dialogue and awareness activities, combining in-person conversations with simple digital resources. Student feedback will be collected after each activity so we can learn, adapt, and improve the model. I also plan to build partnerships with university stakeholders, mental-health professionals, student organizations, and relevant community organizations. By the end of the pilot, I hope to have a tested model, a trained student team, documented lessons, measurable outcomes, and a clear plan for expanding MIND MATTERS.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I plan to make MIND MATTERS a project that students feel they can contribute to, not simply attend. My previous mental-health programme showed me that students are willing to engage when conversations are practical, relatable, and judgment-free. For the pilot, I will use student organizations, faculty networks, social media, class groups, and peer-to-peer outreach to introduce the project and invite students to participate. I will begin with listening sessions and an anonymous survey, allowing students to identify the issues they believe deserve attention. This gives them ownership of the problem and the solutions. I will recruit students from different faculties to become Well-being Ambassadors. They will help spread reliable information, encourage participation, facilitate conversations, and connect students with appropriate support. I will also invite mental-health professionals and relevant university stakeholders to contribute their expertise. So far, my previous programme has given me experience engaging students around mental health. With MIND MATTERS, I want to move from engaging students at a single event to building a community of students who continuously learn, speak up, support one another responsibly, and take action.
