In the midst of midterms and the stress of college life,three on-campus resource centers are offering free “Crafternoon” workshops biweekly as an option for students.
These workshops began in the fall of 2022, after the assistant director of Disability, Access, and Inclusion, Nina Schiarizzi-Tobin, had a conversation with Ming Lee Prospero of the Counseling Center about what resources they could add to campus life, according to Schiarizzi-Tobin. Housing and Residential Life, DAI and the Counseling Center then teamed together and began running Crafternoon biweekly, which they have been running ever since.
“There was an increase of people coming in who talked about not being able to establish roots to feel connected,” Michael Lapointe, the hall director of housing and residential life, said.
This was the initial observation that prompted the establishment of Crafternoon.
The Kaiser Family Foundation released a study in March stating that young adults are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression than adults, with nearly half of all young adults reporting to experience symptoms of either mental illness.
Lapointe felt as though students struggling through the post-pandemic years and the current tension of today’s social climate may have trouble finding a safe space to connect with others.
Lapointe stated that this year that they changed the formation of the tables in the Crafternoon classroom, where individual tables of four seats sit separately. If students wish to sit alone, they can. If they wish to push tables together and accommodate a group of eight friends, they can with no pressure for either.
The tables of craft materials offer a plethora of different options. There are paints, Lego, wires, dried and pressed flowers, gimp, pipe cleaners and so much more. Students are encouraged to get lost in the art of creating while also establishing connections, whether it be with others or simply amongst themselves.
“I think that it’s a comfortable, friendly, warm, welcoming, creative space where nobody is going to lay expectations on you,” Lapointe said. “I look around and I see smiles and I see connections, and that probably feels good to anyone.”
While Lapointe was not present for the birth of Crafternoon, as he put it, he devotes much of his time to creating an accessible creative space for students, including providing many of the materials himself. He will commemorate students on their artwork and keep track of which mediums are most popular, looking for which materials to restock.
“Nothing brings him more joy than seeing the students connected and happy,” Schiarizzi-Tobin said.
The last Crafternoon to take place was on Wednesday and therefore will not be taking place on Oct. 19, but the week after. Flyers will be placed around campus, including in the Memorial Union and the Counseling Center for students interested in finding the schedule.
The space is free and open to anybody wishing to join, whether to de-stress or simply to hang out.