Algonquin students dodge the stigma

A series of dodgeball games took place at the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre recently.

The event, called dodge the stigma, was organized by the Jack.org club. Jack.org is a nationwide organization with chapters in every province and territory.

Jack.org is a charity aimed at increasing awareness of mental health issues and providing resources for people struggling with their mental health.

The dodgeball game featured 13 participants who competed in a series of highly competitive games of dodgeball for an hour.

“A lot more effort than I thought, to be honest, I wasn’t really feeling today, but I put it in, and it was fun,” said Ethan Fisher, a first-year pre-health sciences student. Fisher benefitted from his experience playing baseball.

Algonquin College’s Jack.org club is organizing events every month to open the conversation about students’ mental health.

“The ultimate message that we are trying to promote is mental wellness and mental well-being should be of prime importance of every individual and we should break the barrier of mental health stigma,” said Yaser Siddiqui, one of the organizers of the event.

This is the first year Algonquin College has had a Jack.org chapter and Siddiqui said it is planning more events in the coming months.