From Sunday, February 28 to Thursday, March 5, 2021, Stevens hosted its first ever “Change your Attitude with Gratitude Week.” This week featured daily activities that were focused on fostering hope and positivity, with the purpose of boosting student morale. Stevens Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Alpha Phi Omega (APO), Active Minds, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee (DNI) and the Campus Wellness Committee of the Student Government Association (SGA), and Wellness Education were all included in the planning of this week-long event.
“The goal of the week was that it’s been a year since the pandemic first started. A lot has happened to people, a lot has changed,” said Dr. Melissa Zarin, Assistant Director of Counseling in CAPS. Dr. Zarin played a large part in the organization and planning of this event. She explained that the purpose of the week was to help the community of Stevens move forward during such demanding times. “The goal now was, a year later as we begin to move forward, how do we move forward in a positive way?” Dr. Zarin also spoke about the concept of “grief and loss,” mentioning that the students, faculty, and staff at Stevens have all suffered in their own way because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This week was meant to spark positivity in the midst of the grief and loss that the community of Stevens has been facing. “I started to think about wanting to change our attitudes and really create a week where we start to think about, not just what we lost, but also what we gained,” explained Dr. Zarin. “Part of that was the ‘Silver Lining Project’ which was a big part of the focus as well.”
“The Silver Lining Project” is a new initiative at CAPS that serves the purpose of fostering optimistic mindsets. It asks students to focus on all of the good that has come out of spending time in quarantine; some positives include being with pets, having time to dedicate towards hobbies, memories made with family, etc. During the week, The Silver Lining Project had frequent Instagram takeovers where students were able to share their personal silver linings. A Virtual Mural was also created so students, faculty, and staff can post the positives that they have noticed in their lives.
The week was filled with a variety of events, both in-person and virtually, that all students could take part in. On Sunday, February 28, the kickoff event of the week was hosted via Zoom. During this event, students learned how to make Gratitude Jars. “Mindfulness Monday” was the next day’s event, presented in-person during the morning and virtually in the evening. Tuesday’s in-person activity was “Positivity Rock Painting,” and “Journaling to achieve optimism” was offered virtually. Wednesday featured this Journaling event as well, but in-person. Virtually, students learned how to make and use Vision Boards. Finally, on Thursday, there was a campus walk-through offered both virtually and in-person. Each of these events allowed participants to engage with the community and take the time to connect with positivity.
“I do believe the week was successful on many, many levels,” said Dr. Zarin, “First and foremost, it brought together several different organizations to try to begin this process.” Dr. Zarin worked closely with her colleagues in CAPS, as well APO, DNI, Active Minds, and other previously-mentioned organizations, in order to plan this week-long event. According to Dr. Zarin, “these were the important partners to bring in, and in doing that, we hoped students would participate because they would be promoting it with their organizations.”
During planning, one of their goals was to create opportunities for all students to get involved. This was made possible through the virtual and in-person options that were offered. “We were able to put together a week of programming that included everybody, so no matter where you were โ whether you were physically on campus, whether you were virtual, whether you were even an international student in another country โ you could participate in everything,” explained Dr. Zarin, “We wanted to be as inclusive as possible with our programing, so I think on all of those lines it was successful.”
Thinking of our own personal silver linings, and the positive aspects of life that were emphasized during the COVID-19 pandemic, “Moving forward, how can we integrate those back in our lives in the next Fall? How do you maintain these healthy things as you move into a more normal schooling experience?” asked Dr. Zarin. Moving forward, the hope is that the “Change your Attitude with Gratitude Week,” along with the Silver Lining Project, will continue to grow and become a part of Stevens. Dr. Zarin mentioned that this week “set the foundation” for future events in the Spring, as well as next Fall and the foreseeable future.
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