Active Minds Student Chapter at CAMHS

Constitution
Last Updated May 2021

ARTICLE I. Group Mission, Values, and Goals

1.01 Active Minds Student Chapter at CAMHS is a peer education group under the umbrella of
Harvard University Health Services (HUHS). Active Minds acts as a liaison between mental
health resources and the Harvard College community, working collaboratively with Counseling
and Mental Health Services (CAMHS), the Harvard administration, and student communities.
Active Minds promotes awareness of and improves accessibility to mental health and wellness
resources in order to promote mental health and emotional well-being, reduce stigma
surrounding resource use, and engage in outreach to address the specific needs of various
communities.

1.02 Active Minds aspires to ensure that all students, regardless of identity and experiences, feel
comfortable and able to connect with appropriate resources to support their mental health and
that of their peers; to ensure that all students are equipped to identify and utilize different
pathways to help-seeking; to maintain a visible, responsive, and reliable presence as advocates
and educators throughout a student’s time at Harvard; and to create and maintain an environment
in which all students, regardless of identity and experiences, feel equipped to advocate for
themselves and their peers regarding mental health needs.

1.03 Active Minds will not discriminate in any way on the basis of race, color, sex, gender
identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, age, ancestry, veteran status,
disability, military service, or any other legally protected basis.

ARTICLE II. Group Internal Structure

2.01 Active Minds is led by its own members in conjunction with support from UHS. The group
has a supervisor or supervisors assigned to it by UHS. Supervisors work actively with the
Steering Committee and the general membership to provide direction, support and consultation
as needed. The group is led by a steering committee (“SteerCom”), which consists of two
co-presidents who each serve staggered one-year (two-semester) terms and multiple committee
co-chairs who each serve one-semester terms (with no term limit). Each committee co-chair
serves as a committee chair for one committee (detailed below). SteerCom members are
appointed by members of the sitting SteerCom in conjunction with the group supervisors.
Members self-nominate by submitting a statement to the current steering committee. Candidates
for committee co-chairs are required to have been in Active Minds for at least one semester
before applying, while candidates for co-president are required to have been in Active Minds for
at least two semesters, but an exception can be made if no candidate satisfies this requirement.

2.02 Co-presidents are responsible for:

1. Leading/coordinating supervisor group meetings once a week.
2. Leading steering committee meetings once a week.
3. Leading general meetings once a week.
4. Creating the budget for the group.
5. Keeping group morale high and mission focused.
6. Coordinating committee work and other Active Minds initiatives.
7. Attend bi-weekly HPEL meetings with other Co-presidents from peer education
groups

2.03 Steering committee members are responsible for:

1. Leading committee time within their respective committees.
2. Planning and executing (with the help of the other general members in their
committees)
3. Keeping committee initiatives mission focused.
4. Applying for grants for their committee’s initiatives.

2.04 Active Minds develops its educational programming by means of smaller committees.
While committees may always be created on a case-by-case basis when need arises, five standing
committees serve to direct Active Minds initiatives. These five committees (Communications,
Events, First Year, Outreach, and Policy) are led by SteerCom members and meet regularly to
fulfill their respective duties.

The Communications Committee (“Comms”) is responsible for:

1. Working with other committees to poster and publicize events.
2. Managing Active Minds’s website and social media accounts.
3. Coordinating initiatives to promote Active Minds and spreading information to the
student body.

The Events Committee (“Events”) is responsible for:

1. Planning and executing Your Mental Health Matters, a mental health and wellness
themed week of events, in the fall semester.
2. Plan and execute other smaller-scale events (in line with Active Minds’s mission and
vision) throughout the year.

The First Year Committee (“First Year”) is responsible for:

 1. Planning and executing Freshman Workshops.
2. Planning and executing one freshman study break in Annenberg.
3. Planning and executing one Annenberg check-in during dinner hours with CAMHS
clinicians.

The Outreach Committee (“Outreach”) is responsible for:

1.

The Policy Committee (“Policy”) is responsible for:

1. Coordinating with the Undergraduate Council.
2. Drafting and enforcing the Constitution

In addition, one Active Minds member from each upperclassman house will be
designated the House Team Leader (“HTL”). This is a position of additional leadership
within Active Minds, though any general member may be a HTL for their house. HTLs
work with the House Team Chair (a member of SteerCom) and their house wellness tutor
to hold an all-house check-ins with CAMHS clinicians as well as an all-house study
break.

ARTICLE III. Meeting Guidelines

3.01 General Membership Meetings take place every Sunday from 5pm - 6pm (with exceptions
for university holidays) during the semester. Members are required to attend all general meetings
in order to successfully fulfill their membership requirements.

3.02 General meeting begins with check-ins and purposeful perspectives, which are both spaces
for members to be open and vulnerable within the Active Minds community. Members are
expected to act respectfully within these spaces and respect the group tenets of confidentiality
and non-judgement.

3.03 In order for members to be well-prepared and ready to engage as active participants in
general meeting, the co-presidents will make the agenda available at least 24 hours before each
meeting. In addition, the minutes from each general meeting will be available 24 hours after the
meeting.

3.04 Material discussed at general meeting is private; that is, it should not be shared or discussed
outside of general meeting and Steering Committee Meetings without the consent of all Active
Minds members concerned.
3.05 Steering Committee Meetings (“SteerCom meetings”) take place weekly at a time decided
by the co-presidents (with exception for university holidays) during the semester.
3.06 SteerCom meetings begin with check-ins. SteerComs are expected to act respectfully within
these spaces and respect the group tenets of confidentiality and non-judgement. SteerCom
members are tasked with discussing larger-level ideas and tasks. SteerCom members should also
be ready to report back on their committee’s progress.

3.07 In order for SteerCom members to be well-prepared and ready to engage as active
participants in SteerCom meeting, the co-presidents will make the agenda available at least 24
hours before each meeting. In addition, the minutes from each general meeting will be available
24 hours after the meeting.

3.08 Material discussed at SteerCom meetings is private; that is, it should not be shared or
discussed outside of general meeting without the consent of all SteerCom members involved.

ARTICLE IV: Recruitment and Training

4.01 Each spring, Active Minds will recruit new members. Active Minds members must be
undergraduates at Harvard College. Potential new members self-nominate by submitting a
statement to the current membership. SteerCom members, alongside the supervisor(s), review the
applications and interview potential members.

4.02 New members are required to go through group training, a mandatory semester of training
required to become a full-fledged member of Active Minds. Certain components may be
mandatory for all members as well, irrespective of how long they have been in Active Minds.
Full membership is contingent upon being up-to-date on all mandatory training by the end of the
semester for the coming semester.

4.03 At the beginning of each fall semester, Active Minds members will participate in an
overnight retreat. Attendance at this retreat is mandatory for all members, not only as a way to
foster community amongst new and returning Active Minds members alike, but also because the
training for Freshman Workshops takes place during this time.

4.04 Freshman Workshop Training and Being There Workshop Training are both mandatory
training events that every Active Minds member must complete. Freshman Workshop Training is
required of all Active Minds members, new and returning, every Fall. The First Year committee
co-chairs are in charge of this training. Being There Training is only compulsory for new
members, though returning members may wish to attend as a refresher each year. The Outreach
committee co-chairs are in charge of this training.

ARTICLE V. Membership Expectations

5.01 Active Minds members are expected to attend and participate actively in weekly general
meetings. This means that no Active Minds member can have a weekly recurring conflict with
general meetings. (Something about emailing co-presidents and committee chairs if missing
general meeting x # of hours before.) Missing two general meetings in four weeks will
necessitate meeting with the co-presidents and supervisor(s).

5.02 Active Minds members are expected to be active for at least one full academic year.
Members can be inactive for up to two semesters before having to reapply for membership. If a
member would like to declare inactive status for a semester, this must be done by week two of
the term via email to the co-presidents and supervisor(s).

5.03 SteerCom members are expected to attend and participate actively in weekly SteerCom
meetings. This means that no SteerCom member can have a weekly recurring conflict with
SteerCom meetings. Missing two SteerCom meetings in four weeks will necessitate meeting
with the co-presidents and supervisor(s).

5.04 In addition to regularly attending general meetings, Active Minds members are expected to
remain active in the organization to the best of their ability by supporting the organization in
office hours, campaigns, and events. In general, members will be required to staff, at a minimum,
their committee’s events. Occasionally, members will be asked to staff the events of other
committees as well. Participation of members (that is, staffing of office hours, workshops, and
events) will be tracked and taken into consideration if a member decides to apply for a SteerCom
position.

5.05 Freshman Workshops are an integral part of the education programming of Active Minds.
As such, every Active Minds member will be required to give at least four Freshman Workshops
at the beginning of each fall. The schedule will be released by the co-presidents (in conjunction
with the First Year Experience Office) as far in advance as possible. Failure to complete any of
these four will count as a general meeting absence.

ARTICLE VI. Amendments

6.01 This constitution may be amended in whole or in part by a two-thirds vote of all active
members of Active Minds, provided that there has first been given to all active members two
weeks notice of the intention to vote on a given amendment and a general description thereof,
and further provided that a meeting is held for discussion of the proposed amendment.