UNS — Jangan pendam sendiri “Yuk Bercerita!” (do not keep it in, let’s share), is the sentence is written in @rata.uns Instagram account bio or Ruang Bercerita (Rata) (Room to Share) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS). A media to share and stress release for UNS students. The media was formed by the Social Movement Initiation Ministry of BEM UNS Raka Adi Cabinet in April 2019.
Sharing is a vital means to solve a problem and pressure felt by someone. This mechanism has a relationship with one’s mental health, which currently received wide attention from the public. In the Rata release video, Faith Aqila Silmi, as BEM UNS President then, shared the data from the National Health Assessment, which stated that 33% of university students experienced mental pressure and 20% went through mental health counseling. The cause is varying academic pressure, environmental pressure, and social media.
Pradina Isnawati, Mental Health Directorate General BEM UNS 2020, said that Rata UNS was formed as an initial step to promote the importance of mental health awareness, starting from a simple room to share stories to release stress. “Especially for UNS students,” Pradina, a student of Psychology Program FK UNS, stated on Saturday (6/2/2021).
Connecting with many people poses a different challenge for Rata Team. There are times when the team needs to respond to the stories, even when they were not in their best position. This condition made them got carried away and leads to bias. However, the team that consists of Psychology students always try to be professional and provide neutral, non-offensive, and light responses that will reach its purposes.
“Alhamdulillah, this (movement) becomes a means for me to apply my knowledge. We will direct it to a professional such as a psychologist for several serious problems and are over our ability. Therefore, last year, Rata UNS collaborated with FK UNS, Himapsi UNS, and other institutions,” Pradina explained.
Besides sharing stories, Rata also provides information surrounding mental health and psychology and required facilities. Webinars and various data are presented in an interesting and up to date fashion through Rata Instagram posts. One of their posts is regarding the Korean drama ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’ as mental health-related entertainment. Another example is the Indonesian movie ‘Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini’ (let’s talk about today), adapted from Marcella FP’s book.
Rata received a warm welcome and enthusiasm from students. One hundred and twelve stories were submitted to Rata Team from March – December 2020. Their profile visitors were also interactive by participating in QnA through Insta stories and submitting comments.
Rata Expansion
Pradina hopes that Rata will be more active and has a more noticeable presence in UNS through social events to discuss mental health and women issues. She also hopes that UNS students will care about themselves, their fellows, and the environment more.
For UNS students who want to share their stories, Rata submission can be made through the BEM UNS website (http://bemuns.com/rata-uns/), which will guarantee anonymity. Students are free to choose whether they need a response from the team or not. If required, students can send a contact (email). The team also accept stories that do not ask for any responses. Humas UNS
Reporter: Kaffa Hidayati
Editor: Dwi Hastuti