Kean University prides itself on being a diverse and welcoming community, which can be seen through the organizations that call Kean home. This semester, a few new organizations are joining the mix! Now there are even more ways for students to become more involved on campus.

The new organizations for this semester are as follows:

• Active Minds at Kean University
• Art Over All
• Exercise Science Club
• Helping Younger Hands
• Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
• Tutors Club
• Voices of Kean

Active Minds at Kean University is an organization that centers around erasing the stigmas around mental health disorders, and instead raising awareness for them. The members of Active Minds want to change the ways that mental health is talked about and valued while also breaking the stereotypes surrounding them. 

President Melissa Rojas said, "Mental health is something that has been a part of my life. Throughout my life I have suffered through mental illnesses; however I have been recovered for a while now and wanted to help make a change within the Kean community."

She continued, "I started researching different non-profit organizations that focus on educating others on mental health, advocacy, and something that will make an impact among students. I came along Active Minds whose mission and purpose was to change the conversation about mental health.

If one is interested in painting, art and overall making people smile and having a good time, consider joining Art Over All. It is an organization focused on the expression of art. Its goal is to create an environment where students can truly appreciate art and not be limited to one form.

President of the Exercise Science Club, Alexandra Brito, explains that her organization is centered around raising awareness for a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, this club is for students who wish to learn more about the exercise field in the real world. Some advantages of joining the Exercise Science Club are networking with professionals, learning new skills, and creating relationships between other members of the organization.

Brito says, "Our organization stands for both physical and mental wellness. This means a great deal to me. As I have grown older I have become more understanding of the effects of physical and mental illnesses. With this club I have found that we are capable of enhancing the quality of life of students on a larger scale. If we can initiate just one student to live a healthier lifestyle, then we have changed one life for the better."

The Exercise Science Club meetings are held every other Thursday from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. in Harwood's D'Angola Gym Room D-163. 

Helping Younger Hands is an organization dedicated to spreading awareness on topics such as disabilities, disorders, abuse and other things of that nature. They want to educate students on important issues such as these to break the stereotypes that exist around them.

President Breanna Hernandez said, "The organization started with the purpose to educate students on different disabilities that children may have, but it's grown to making students aware of any struggles that children may deal with whether it's substance abuse or sexual abuse, disorders, homelessness, etc."

The Intervaristy Christian Fellowship is a new organization focused on supporting students in several ways. They do this by means of outreach, discipleship and service. Additionally, the organization's purpose is to spread the teaching of Jesus and spread His love. 

The Tutors Club is another new organization on campus that centers around creating connections between students, academic specialists, faculty members and administrators to help assist students in developing healthy, effective study habits. They want to be able to guide students that may be struggling from challenging or demanding courses. 

President Michelle Saavedra said, "For me, the Tutors Club is an environment where anyone can feel comfortable and ask for help academically without any judgement. The executive board and our tutors at the Nancy Thompson Library are always open to help students all over campus. We can help on improving one's study habits and how to tackle a rigorous subject."

Lastly, Voices of Kean: A Critical Analysis of Contemporary Topics is a new organization that is essentially a debate club. They critically analyze contemporary issues that are prevalent in our society today. Vice President Hayya Ali said, "Without communication or shining light on things that matter the most, we tend to lose insight on what’s important. At Voices of Kean, we provide a platform for any student at Kean to voice their opinion on any issue around us."

Voices of Kean is prevalent on campus because they help advocate for important topics that may pertain to students, such as oppression and racism. These are topics that students should have a voice about and Voices of Kean allows students to do so. Also, they allow students to practice their public speaking skills and become more confident in themselves. 

If one is interested in becoming more involved on campus through one of these organizations, be sure to check out Cougar Link. They are more than willing to welcome new members.