CONNECTION BEFORE CRISIS.
Dear You is a mental health organization built around the idea of connection before crisis. We put students at the forefront of mental health leadership and help build campus cultures where people feel connected and reminded that they are not alone.
MENTAL HEALTH DOESN'T START IN A COUNSELING OFFICE.
Most of the time, it starts much earlier. It starts with feeling known.
In the classroom. At the coffee shop. In the gym. On a run. In the dorm. In the car after a long day. In the five minutes after class when somebody notices you aren't quite yourself.
Dear You creates more reasons for students to know and show up for one another throughout the year. When people feel connected on campus, checking in feels natural, making it easier to notice when someone goes quiet or isn't quite themselves.
WE DON'T ASK STUDENTS TO BE COUNSELORS.
Dear You leaders receive QPR suicide prevention training ↗, work with their campus counseling center and other student-support resources to understand what help is available locally, and learn how to recognize warning signs, start a conversation, and connect a peer to professional support when needed.
Dear You launch states recorded a 2024 suicide rate above the U.S. average.
THIS IS WHY WE ARE STARTING HERE.
2024 age-adjusted suicide death rates per 100,000 people. Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics. CDC ↗
CALL YOUR
PEOPLE.
Fall is about making Dear You familiar on campus before Ruck Week. Our chapters use media, student stories, collaborations, and campus outreach to introduce what we're building and give students a reason to reach out to someone they care about.
THE ROAD TO
RUCK WEEK.
Months of
showing up.
Starting in January, chapters shift from awareness into the Road to Ruck Week. They lead weekly training rucks for students, build teams over months, and raise money for a mental health organization in their local community. The goal is bigger than reaching a finish line: it is creating a shared commitment to keep showing up for your campus, your community, and the people beside you.
Ruck Week in March or April is the culmination. Students move together, chapters fundraise for local mental health organizations, and the campus gets a visible reminder that support is something we practice, not just something we talk about.
Rucking is walking while carrying weight in a backpack or weighted vest. Adding load makes a walk more physically demanding and can challenge cardiovascular fitness, core and lower-body strength, and bone health. For students, the barrier to entry is simple: a backpack, a route, and people to move with.
LEARN MORE FROM HARVARD HEALTH ↗A YEAR-ROUND
PRESENCE.
Dear You is not built around one month of awareness. The goal is a year-round shift in campus culture, with a name and a network students can keep turning toward long after a single campaign or event ends.
Our chapters spend the year meeting students where they already are through tabling, campus pop-ups, collaborations with student organizations, training meetups, student stories, and conversations that make checking in feel normal.
Student leaders also participate in monthly leadership development workshops with professionals across mental health, health, sport, research, and business. The goal is bigger than running a chapter: we want students to leave Dear You better prepared to advocate for mental health on campus and wherever they go next.
By Ruck Week, the name should already feel familiar.
FIVE CAMPUSES.
ONE IDEA.
Different campuses across the Midwest and Mountain West, building toward the same thing: stronger connection before crisis. Meet the chapter presidents below.
student leaders building Dear You where they live, study, train, and show up. Over the year, we’ll share what Dear You means to the students building it on their own campuses.
SHOW UP
WHERE YOU ARE.
Join your campus chapter, train for the ruck, collaborate with a local team, or start by calling somebody today.
Dear You is not a counseling or crisis service. If you or someone you know needs immediate support in the U.S., call or text 988. For campus-specific support, use your university's counseling or emergency resources.