Focusing on students’ growth in self-care and community care, the first day of the Project Rebound mental health workshop was recently held virtually. Project Rebound assists formerly incarcerated individuals who are looking to enroll at Cal State LA. Students will be able to make new discoveries on who they are as a student and a person at the second workshop that will be held Oct. 21 at 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Madelyn Bonilla, a student in the program, is overseeing the mental health workshop in partnership with Cal State LA’s Changemakers. She hopes students can take a break from their everyday lives. 

“I wanted students to take a moment to escape from their busy schedules, classwork, projects and tests to have some fun while engaging in activities with their peers, as well as be familiar with resources that are accessible to them that could help when focusing on their mental health,” she said.

The goal of the workshop is to give students time to focus on themselves. Students will be shown that it is OK to take time to focus on themselves and practice self-care. The workshop is meant to strengthen the bond among the students who attend and to create new relationships.

“Often, we forget because we are so invested in school and work, we want to give students that time and space,” said Bonilla. “In the end, we must remember that we are all in this together though we are all on different paths. We all have faced obstacles along the way and understand what it feels like.”

The workshop is split into two days, giving students time to reflect on what they learned in the first workshop. Both days will be filled with different activities and objectives for each student. Students will be participating in activities like icebreakers, student reflections, and games.

The first workshop was virtually held on Oct. 19. The second workshop will also be virtual and students can access day two of the workshop here. 

​​Started in 1967, Project Rebound encourages students to excel and helps students with their needs so they can focus on their studies.