Want to Get to Know Someone Better? Try Out a Conversation Kit from Student Wellbeing
Want to Get to Know Someone Better? Try Out a Conversation Kit from Student Wellbeing
Two Questrom students, vlogger Anna Malygin and Yashika Chari, show how easy and fun it is…and there’s free coffee, too
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a huge emotional toll: anxiety, depression, loneliness, and isolation. As months went by, it became clear to wellness and mental health experts on campus that the University had to find ways to help students connect with one another in-person.
“We thought that encouraging students to get a cup of coffee with a friend or classmate and start a conversation would be a great way to do that,” says Carrie Landa, BU’s inaugural executive director of student wellbeing.
Starting next month, students will be able to pick up free “Conversation Kits” at pop-ups across BU’s campuses (find the dates and locations below). Each kit contains two $5 gift cards to Dunkin’ or Starbucks, along with a printed question designed to launch a conversation.
“What has been incredible is to see how one question rolls into an entire discussion,” Landa says. The kits were originally developed last April by the Wellbeing Project for BU’s Wellness Days.
In the video above, vlogger Anna Malygin (Questrom’23) picks up a Conversation Kit and meets with her friend Yashika Chari (Questrom’24) for coffee and a chat at the StuVi Dunkin’. The card in their kit asked them to talk about the person they admire most in the world. From there, the conversation flowed to other topics, like their social media profiles.
“Using this communication kit was a fun experience,” Malygin says. “It gave me an encouraging push to get to know one of my classmates and become closer friends. I would definitely recommend this experience to other students as we begin to warm back up to connecting with each other in person.”
Conversation Kits will be available at the following dates and locations: April 6 in the Fenway Campus Pilgrim House student lounge, 37 Pilgrim Road; April 13, from noon to 2 pm, at the George Sherman Union Link; and April 19 on the Medical Campus (time and location TBD; check here for updates).
Find more information on Student Wellbeing here .
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