The loud noises from the busy hallways slowly began to fade away, as Friday, a student at the Lethbridge Polytechnic sat down to begin painting. With the stress of studying and exams, Friday decided to take a break and relax at Crafts and Connections on campus. She reached for a thin bristled brush and with each stroke she felt calmer. She began to smile as her and the person beside her began to chat about life.  

Wellness Services at the Lethbridge Polytechnic offer a weekly event called Crafts and Connections as an outlet for students during their school day. Their goal is to give students a chance to take a mental break from their schoolwork through crafting and connecting with others. 

Maya is a Mental Health Therapist that works for Wellness Services, she says that they want Crafts and Connections to be an opportunity for students to connect with their community.

“We find that even on campus it can be really hard to connect with each other. So, this is just an opportunity to sit down and talk to the person next to you while you’re making things and being creative. And we just want to sort of inspire a more community minded space where people can gather and have a good time.” 

Crafts and Connections meet every Thursday with different craft options including painting, knitting, coloring and more. They also offer different snack options for students to enjoy including granola bars, bananas and trail mix. The workers for Crafts and Connections are very intentional and happy to chat with students.  

Friday shares that connecting with others is very important to her; “What we do for crafts and connections is to make lots of things like crafts. I don’t know how to describe it, but we do like brainstorming with wellness services. Especially though, nice to make new friends and stuff like that.” 

Wellness Services is always striving to improve the health and well-being of students. Corrine Janzen is a Counselling Intake Coordinator from Wellness Services and she explains how it can help students.

“I think it’s a really great space for students to come and do something that they enjoy, connect with other students, and de-stress. Focus on something other than education just for a few minutes if that’s all they have, and refresh themselves to go back to doing whatever they need to do like studying and class.”  

Wellness services continues to offer a safe space for students at crafts and connections and hopes to improve the mental health of students by implementing healthy breaks during their school day.  

Crafts and Connections meet every Thursday from 11-12:30 p.m., either in Center Core or in the Richardson Oilseed room.