In a Focus on Mental Health, UWM begins Green Bandana Project

As the conversation around mental health in athletics continues to evolve, a recent push to focus on mental health and mental health allyship from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletic department began in the form of a new initiative titled the Green Bandana Project.

Anya Athan, a senior on the track and field team at UWM, spearheaded the implementation of the project. In a statement titled YOU ARE ENOUGH published on the MKE athletics page, Athan wrote about her own struggles with mental health.

“We are taught, especially as athletes, to be tough and push through pain,” said Athan. “We don’t want to show weakness or vulnerability, which makes asking for help extremely difficult.”

Athan worked together with former women’s basketball player and President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee on campus Alyssa Fischer. She also worked with Senior Associate Director of Athletics Kathy Litzau, the administrator in charge of the project. 

With the ongoing pandemic, both Athan, and Litzau responded to interview questions using email as the format.

“I have definitely witnessed the high prevalence of mental health issues among athletes here at UWM,” said Athan. “Since coming forward and sharing my story, I’ve had several athletes reach out to me and express that they have struggled with similar issues. Being a student-athlete comes with many unique challenges that can take a toll on one’s mental health.”

According to Litzau, the Green Bandana Project is designed to spread awareness of the available resources on campus for people struggling with mental illness or a mental health crisis. The name as she explained is both pragmatic and symbolic. The color green is associated with mental health awareness. Because of this, athletes involved in the program were given green bandanas to wear on backpacks symbolizing their allyship. 

Roughly 20 student-athletes who have volunteered to attend training sessions and meetings make up the group. The project hopes that they will be seen as a resource by their peers. That they will be people to reach out to for those experiencing mental health issues.

Litzau said that the athletic department will be educating student-athletes to recognize that those with a green bandana can be approached regarding mental health issues. The student-athletes who have volunteered as advocates have attended Student Connect suicide training.

Litzau said that the group will need to come up with the specifics together with the overarching goal of helping their peers when asked about what the goal for the group is.

“I would respond with the goal of making sure that every student-athlete is aware of how much we care about them, that it’s ok to ask for help, and that we are here to support them with professional resources no matter what they are going through,” said Litzau. 

For Athan, the goal is more focused on the destigmatizing the conversation surrounding mental health in athletics.

“The Green Bandana Project aims to decrease stigma by increasing visibility of mental health issues and encouraging people to seek out help when they need it,” said Athan. According to Athan, “Mental health has recently been getting more attention in the world of athletics, which is really great.”

According to Litzau, the athletes received training on available campus resources like You@UWM and SilverCloud. Students received their training from UWM Emotional Health Promotion Coordinator. The group meets monthly to receive training and to hear from guest speakers. 

When asked about the prospects of the project, Athan had high hopes. She said that she was confident in the group’s ability to engage in meaningful change.

“I am hopeful that people will feel comfortable seeking out support from their peers who are green bandana advocates,” Athan said. 

For Athan and many of the other members of the group, being able to help those struggling was personal. Athan has been very upfront about her own struggles hoping that her story will be able to help out someone who has dealt with their own issues. 

“I know that when I was in the midst of dark times, particularly as an underclassman, I would have greatly benefitted from having other athletes to confide in,” said Athan. 

“But again, even if people do not feel comfortable personally coming forward, I think the knowledge that they are in a supportive environment and there are others going through similar struggles can in itself provide a sense of comfort and solidarity.”