"We're visible to people who are interested already. But those who don't know about it, those are the people we're trying to reach," a co-director says.
Besides hotline duty, staff members describe outreaches to first-year proctor groups as their most vital function.
The format follows a simple plan. First, they explain the nitty gritty of ECHO and then they pass out notecards for people to write questions on. They then read the cards, hoping a conversation will develop.
"The goal is to encourage discussion, jumping off points," a co-director says.
Introducing students to ECHO early in their college careers is crucial because of the traumas certain to hit in the first months of Yard life.
"Everybody has to go to Annenberg. That can be overwhelming, unlimited choices, all-you-can-eat," a co-director says. So ECHO steps in to explain that anxiety about eating is a normal feeling. "So much can throw you in freshman year. It's good to know what's going on."
The number of outreaches per year is dependent on the whims of first-year proctors. ECHO averages one outreach a month, a co-director says, adding that she wishes they could do more.
"We're there for 45 minutes. That's it," a counselor says. Such outreach programs from some peer counseling groups were once mandatory, but that policy ended three years ago.
One of ECHO's biggest projects is Eating Disorders Awareness week, which gives the group an opportunity to raise the issue for public discourse through panels, posters and table tents.
This year, ECHO tried out interactive displays in the Science Center, which received an enthusiastic response.
One day they hung up the outline of a body and asked passersby to stick construction paper hearts on the parts of the body they were not happy with and pledge to appreciate it for the day.
The ongoing poster campaign is integral to ECHO's effort to spread the word about eating problems.
Last year, one poster in a woman's bathroom stall prompted one woman to write a message on the paper. Others replied, starting a written conversation. This is the dialogue ECHO is striving for, a co-director says.
"I think the more the stigma can be removed, the more beneficial that will be to discussion and awareness," she adds.
The End Result
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