Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is especially important in and inextricably linked to suicide prevention and mental health promotion work. It is a critical component of Fresh Check Day that we recognize the diversity of every college/university student body, and ensure that this vital program engages and supports marginalized and underserved communities at all levels of planning and implementation.
This page is dedicated to consolidating resources and information to empower participating schools in their efforts to elevate and celebrate communities of color and other historically marginalized groups at Fresh Check Day.
Introducing a New Booth: EMPOWER
Though some Fresh Check Day booths like Be Yourself and UBelong have addressed or have been adapted to address the mental health climates of marginalized communities, no booth offering has done so specifically for BIPOC students, until now.
Fresh Check Day’s newest booth offering, Empower, addresses the unique mental health disparities students of color experience and empowers all students to be more informed and responsible allies.
Developed with a review team made up of clinical advisors, students of color and experienced Fresh Check Day coordinators, Empower aims to:
- Address disparities in BIPOC communities and promote responsible allyship
- Highlight strengths, experiences, and resilience within the campus’ BIPOC communities
- Provide information on mental health risk and protective factors within the BIPOC-based campus communities
Empower is included in the 2024 Inside the Booths Handbook, but is available now.
*The Empower booth chapter is password protected. Fresh Check Day Coordinators can use the password they were provided to access.
Fresh Check Day DEI Resources
Use these resources* when planning Fresh Check Day to broaden awareness and provide a culturally relevant program for all students.
Glossaries**
Language matters. We’ve curated the following glossaries of DEI terms and have intentionally used some terms interchangeably.
*Some resources are password protected. Fresh Check Day Coordinators can use the password they were provided to access.
**These glossary links have been provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only. They do not constitute an endorsement or approval by the Jordan Porco Foundation or any of its programs or opinions of the organization or individuals on behalf of the organization. The Jordan Porco Foundation has no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or context of the content contained in external links.
BIPOC Participation at Fresh Check Day
The value of creating a more inclusive and equitable space for suicide prevention and mental health promotion programming must be informed and backed by the data.
Data from Fresh Check Day has consistently suggested that demographically representative samples from the student bodies at-large are present and participating at their campuses Fresh Check Day program. Participating schools should be intentional in including BIPOC communities in the planning and marketing of Fresh Check Day.
Shown below are the results of the key indicators as they relate to self-identified racial demographics of respondents across Fresh Check Days since 2014.
