Inside the mind of RAG week coordinator, Tessa Ani Schiller

“RAG WEEK IS UPON US” clamours the official event page of RAG WEEK 2015 and it most certainly is upon us. If RAG isn’t dominating the societies fair with their outlandish balloons, and equally outlandish and friendly members, they’re taking over the university with their cakes, their events, and their wacky socials (did you hear about the no cup rule?!). While RAG (it stands for ‘Raising and Giving’ by the way) raises money all year long for a variety of different charities, this week the society is specifically focusing on Mind, a mental health charity, and raising awareness both for mental health illnesses and the charity’s own hard work. We met with the brains behind RAG week, Tessa Ani Schiller, to learn a little more.

Features: For anyone who hasn’t heard of RAG would you be able to sum up the society in a nutshell?

Tessa: Oh god, where have you been? Seriously, I thought our promo was on point. The public description of RAG is ‘Raising And Giving’; we fundraise on behalf of a bunch of different charities in a number of creative and fun ways. To those who are a part of it however, it’s a supportive and completely eccentric family who love to put themselves out there (and drink together at the end of it all!)

We achieve things together that we could never do alone.

 

F: Have you always been interested in charities and fundraising or was it an interest cultivated at university?

T: I think the desire has been there underneath it all but I only got involved in RAG last year and it just blew my mind. The best part, without a doubt, is the family aspect of it. We all get emotional when we talk about each other and how we’re this bizarre group of people, and it sounds painfully cheesy but it’s so, so true. We achieve things together that we could never do alone.

F: It definitely sounds like fun! What was the thinking behind choosing Mind as your charity this year?

T: It was a collective decision between myself, my partner in crime Shay Sicheng and our president Farrah Burke. We wanted to capitalise on how public RAG Week is and take a stand on something and somehow raise awareness. Mental illness is an issue that has been increasingly covered in the media but it’s still an area that people are incredibly clueless about and often inadvertently prejudicing. It’s also something students suffer from disproportionately because we’re all in a situation where we’re away from home for the first time in our lives. You’re standing on your own two feet and can suddenly feel completely alone. There are charities and services and people that want to help you, but you have to know about them first.

F: It’s definitely a great cause to be raising awareness for. What do you think is the next step in raising mental health awareness both nationally as well as locally here at the University of Warwick?

T: Politicians need to start facing the facts. Charities like Mind are doing the best they can but they’re underfunded and doing jobs that fundamentally should be provided by the NHS. Mental health provision is easier to cut because there’s room for debate about the best treatment, what people need, etcetera. Things like ‘self-healing’ have become increasingly popular recently and have their merits (we do need to understand how to look after ourselves) but when the situation is severe that’s not enough. However, when the services are failing people that badly, particularly with students whose cases cannot be dismissed as ‘natural’ stress (which professionals can also misdiagnose). Young people aren’t taken seriously and we need to start looking at the pressures we place on people and why things like anxiety in particular are so heavily on the rise.

I became so much more confident after joining RAG and I think that’s the same for a lot of people.

F: Your blog “Tessa, You’re out of Your Element” is pretty inspirational (Tessa runs a blog on her own journey through mental health, drawing on research as well as other people’s stories). Writers like you make the future of mental health seem all that more hopeful. What was it that made you decide to put yourself out there and share your intensely personal story of depression?

T: Well thank you for saying that, firstly! I think I’ve always been honest; I naturally require people to know ‘the real me’. But mostly it was never really anything I was truly afraid of and it was a shock to me that others found it so difficult to speak about. I realised that from a young age we have been trained to keep our deepest emotions to ourselves but that meant that many people end up feeling like they’re the only ones going through these emotions and difficulties. It’s simply not the case. I wanted to write about things that others can identify with, but don’t necessarily have the capacity to put down themselves.

F: That leads me onto my next question. For anybody reading this who may suffer from depression, what advice do you have on getting through it?

T: Getting through it is intensely personal. For me I’ve tried therapy and antidepressants and both have their merits. Depression is nothing you can cure; it comes back when you least expect it. However, what I can say is that you can combat it by learning more about your illness and yourself. Learning what triggers you is important. Sometimes it’s surprising, like a friend you thought was good for you, or less of a surprise, like alcohol. Surrounding yourself with good people who make you feel better is also a good way to deal with it. The second part I’ve mentioned is really important because you can have good friends but unfortunately they can have a negative effect too. Finally, don’t beat yourself up! When you want to take time out and not get out of bed, do it, that’s okay.

F: Which RAG Week event or activity are you looking forward to the most?

T: That’s an impossible question. I love promo, even though we’re in the freezing cold and lots of people are totally unreceptive. You get to meet so many new people and shout and laugh and spend time with some of the most enthusiastic volunteers out there. Also the mental health discussion panel (which I’m chairing) should be fascinating. Finally, the socials. Always the socials.

F: Final question, what advice do you have for any fundraising enthusiasts out there? How can they get more involved with RAG?

T: There’s a million ways to get involved: message one of us, volunteer, join up to a trek, COME TO A SOCIAL. The advice I’d give is cheesy again but has to be said: just say yes. RAG is phenomenal if you just go with it. I became so much more confident after joining RAG and I think that’s the same for a lot of people.

For anyone interested in finding out a bit more about Mind, follow this link: http://www.mind.org.uk/

Link to Tessa’s Blog: https://taschiller.wordpress.com/

Find RAG on Facebook: ‘Warwick RAG’