During her presentation, Imad emphasized the need for a culture shift in higher education and encouraged participants to brainstorm solutions to address the burnout epidemic in institutions across the country. She stressed the importance of creating “resilient spaces” for colleagues and students from historically marginalized backgrounds, equipping them with the skills and support to overcome challenges and grow from their experiences.
Imad prompted attendees to form small groups and discuss concepts like intergenerational trauma and reparative humanism, and explore how they could implement these ideas in their work. Volunteers were asked to share takeaways from their group discussions with the entire room, leading to ideas about helping students access campus resources, challenging inequalities in higher education, and identifying harmful “agreements” within the system.
Participants left the event feeling empowered to make their courses more “burnout-proof,” and were encouraged to check in with students about their well-being and make necessary adjustments to reduce stress while maintaining learning objectives. Imad emphasized that resilience is not one-size-fits-all, and future sessions are planned for Winter and Spring Quarters. Information about registration for future events will be posted to the Equity in Mental Health series website when details are finalized.