Why the Koala?

I was recently out on (rainy) college tours with my daughter and could not pass up the photo op with Columbia College’s Mascot- the Koala. If you have ever taken a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training or looked at the marketing materials, you likely saw a Koala as their mascot as well. Did you ever wonder why?

The Koala pays homage to its Australian roots- MHFA was started in Australia by Betty Kitchner, a nurse, and her husband Anthony Jorm, mental health researcher. They started the program in 2000 in response to what they saw as a great deal of misinformation being spread about mental illness and an associated negative stigma that were both contributing to individuals not reaching out for the help they needed. Since coming to the US in 2008 over 3 million Americans have improved their mental health literacy and had meaningful conversations surrounding mental health stigma as certified Mental Health First Aiders.

Speaking of Koalas- a big thank you the staff at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo at a recent training that explained to me why I should no longer be referring to the Koala as a Koala Bear :). My Koala Marsupial.