Peers' care combats stress

A group of undergraduates from Duke Kunshan design campaigns to promote mental well-being at the Student Leader Global Summit in South Africa

Seven students from Duke Kunshan University, including four from China, joined peers from around the globe at a major conference in South Africa this summer to exchange ideas on wellness and mental health on campus.

The group was among 55 participants from 16 countries invited to attend the 2019 Student Leader Global Summit hosted by Stellenbosch University, near Cape Town.

Organized by the nonprofit International Association of Student Affairs and Services, the annual summit aims to prepare future world leaders, with the focus this year on encouraging "campus change-makers" to consider the behaviors, skills and campaigns that can improve and support mental well-being among classmates.

"It was both wonderful and memorable. We interacted with one another, shared experiences and ideas, and helped create micro campaigns to promote mental health on campus," says Milica Jordanov, an undergraduate student from Serbia.

Jordanov made the journey from Duke Kunshan in East China's Jiangsu province to South Africa with classmates Wei Yi, Tang Lan, Hu Yutong and Guan Shuyi from China, Paula Gonzalez of Peru, and Moroccan-Tunisian student Nour Cherradi El Fadili.

With students often experiencing high pressure, universities around the world are paying closer attention to mental health on campus.