College life can be stressful as students learn to juggle their schoolwork, part-time jobs, new relationships, and oftentimes, completely different living environments. Plus, how many people go into college knowing exactly what they want to do for the rest of their lives? Yet, those student loans keep piling up as students try to figure out who they are and how they fit into this complex world.

Now, add a global pandemic into the mix and Houston, we’ve got a problem!

The youth have been hit particularly hard by Covid-19. While their immune systems may have held up fairly well against the virus, their mental health and wellness have been on a rapid decline. So much so that U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued a public health advisory calling on the nation to respond to the growing mental health crisis among the youth.

How bad is it?

During the pandemic, suicidal ideation in US college students more than doubled—from 11.5% of college-aged young adults seriously contemplating suicide to 25%. 

Stop to think about that for a minute. One in four college students is seriously thinking about taking their own life. It’s beyond alarming.

To combat this mental health epidemic colleges have been looking for innovative, evidence-based programming to improve mental well-being quickly and effectively. And SKY Campus Happiness has delivered.

SKY Campus Happiness: Total well-being for higher education

SKY Campus Happiness is a comprehensive well-being and resilience program that empowers college students, faculty, and staff to uplift their mental well-being and achieve their fullest potential. 

SKY Campus Happiness creates happy and mindful campus communities where individuals thrive in life and lead with clarity of mind, resilience, purpose, and belonging. They do so by bringing evidence-based breathwork, SKY Breath Meditation, emotional intelligence, social connection, and service leadership to every campus.

The response to SKY Campus Happiness in higher educational institutions has matched the increase in mental health needs. In fact, between 2020 and 2021, SKY Campus grew by 262%! Robust programs were integrated at Harvard, funded by the National Institute of Health, and over 228 thousand students, staff, and faculty benefited in colleges across the nation. 

"At Stanford, we have found that SKY Campus Happiness has played an important role in improving overall student well-being.”

– Director, Wellness & Health Promotion Services

Stanford University

Making a big impact for students across the country

Since the inception of SKY Campus Happiness in 2012, the reach and impact of the program has been nothing short of amazing. 350,000 students, staff and faculty have been positively impacted at over 102 campuses across the country. 

Additionally, 675 students, staff, and faculty have been trained as certified SKY Wellness Workshop leaders for their campus, where they expertly lead breathwork practices and guided meditation, plus social connection sessions that include mindful practices.

And as these workshop leaders continue to share the program and shine their light, SKY Campus Happiness continues to grow.

In the last year alone, 6742 students, staff and faculty attended the immersive 3-day SKY Happiness Retreat on their campus, learning the powerful SKY Breath Meditation, and gaining connection with their peers and resilience tools for life.

“Now that I have these techniques to help me, I would say that my mentality is a lot healthier. I can devote time to studying and not melting down.”  Davornne Lindo (Yale student and track athlete)

Empowering youths and saving lives

The numbers of students reached through SKY Campus Happiness is impressive, but perhaps the most important impact of the program is not traceable.

How many student suicides have been avoided? How many students graduated that would have otherwise dropped out? How many students will go on to live happy fulfilling lives, that otherwise might have been overwhelmed by stress?

We may never know the exact answers to these questions, but suffice it to say, the amazing work of SKY Campus Happiness isn’t just transforming lives, it’s saving them.

Get in touch with SKY Campus Happiness: skycampushappiness@iahv.org