Building Cultures of Belonging at the University and at Work

A program designed for the Professional Experience Certificate Program

It can be hard to create robust networks of connection these days… but not impossible.

The American College Health Association’s most recent research in 2018 showed that 63% of American college students reported feeling “very lonely” in the past year. This was before the Covid-19 pandemic moved lectures online, shuttering students into dorm rooms and Zoom rectangles.

We know that social connectedness is a key predictor of academic success and mental and physical health, yet universities have a lot of work to do, in order to install the architecture for these connections to form.

How does this program work?

We’ll draw from well-researched practices of expressive writing, storytelling and dialogue to help students understand and contextualize loneliness, and then counter it by taking tangible actions towards building cultures of connection and belonging.

We’ll dive into a topic, exploring the relationship between social connectedness and forces that impact student experience. These include

  • Loneliness in Context : What the research says about where we’re at, and what people are

  • Technology and social media: The positives and negatives of tech for authentic human connection.

  • Academic culture: How the structures and values of the university can help and hinder connectedness.

  • Workplace culture: How do we stay connected as we move into the world of work?

We’ll start each session by learning about the current research on this topic, as well as innovative, on-the-ground projects aimed to build belonging. Then we’ll use expressive writing, active listening, and dialogue exercises to help us find our own stories and voices, as well as hear each other’s. We’ll end each session by setting a “social connection challenge” for the week.

This program is practical, fun, and grounded in research. We’ll draw from a diverse crew of writers and academics, including Vivek Murthy, Sherry Turkle, Mia Birdsong, Serena Bian, John Cacioppo, and others.

Chris Fraser (She/Her)

Who are we?

Firefly Creative Writing is a small business based in Toronto that has built a thriving and engaged creative community for the last seventeen years. We currently run over 100 writing programs a year, including a series of customizable Workshops for Workplaces. The founder, Chris Fraser, holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Education and Community Development, and will be the lead facilitator for this course, joined by a colleague.

Practicalities

This class will take place over 5 two-hour sessions. The fee ranges from $2200-3000 depending on whether it takes place on Zoom, in-person, or as a hybrid model.


What organizations are saying about working with us:

Government of Ontario logo

I managed an incredibly hardworking team at the Indigenous Justice Division, overseen by the Government of Ontario. We supported Indigenous families with experiences of loss, racial and social injustices. Day in and day out, my team offered selfless and nurturing care. I wanted to give them the chance to reflect on their courage and resiliency.

Firefly Creative Writing gave that back to us ten-fold. In a single afternoon, through the power of words and stories, we were transported out of our heads, back to our hearts and towards our shared connections. When we left, we had been lifted up, to be able to carry on the work. I highly recommend booking a workshop with Firefly. The value of building trust in this way with your team cannot be under-estimated.

Terry Swan
Former Manager, Programs Indigenous Justice Division, Government of Ontario


Scadding Court Community Centre logo

Throughout the past few months, Firefly has sent us some amazing facilitators who worked with our group of youth to deliver powerful writing sessions. Many of our youth enjoyed the process of taking time out on a weekly basis to put their thoughts on paper, reflect on their current situation and share their pieces with their peers.

The facilitators did a great job in creating a welcoming environment while addressing heavy themes such as family, relationships, emotions, and self-talk. I can't describe the number of times I was blown away by the writing pieces shared by the group and how true to their lived experiences.

Labib Chowdhury
Youth Services Coordinator, Scadding Court Community Centre


Bread by Us logo

My leadership team participated in a workshop at a time where our relationships to one another were evolving and transforming. Honestly, it exceeded my expectations. I always expect magic with Firefly, but this went beyond that.

The facilitator came in with so much knowledge about workplaces, relationships, dynamics, and so much more. She put things into words for us that we didn't have vocabulary for before entering the space. She balanced all that knowledge with being super down to earth.

We came out of the workshop with new vocabulary, new insights into each other, and feeling very connected. It was also really fun!

Jessica Carpinone
Owner, Bread By Us