ProjectConnect program to continue in spring semester after success in the fall

BY NINA SYDORYK ’25 STAFF WRITER

Four months ago, Mount Holyoke’s Counseling Services launched the pilot program ProjectConnect to address an epidemic of chronic loneliness among college students in the United States. Led by peer facilitators, ProjectConnect offers students the chance to meet others and socialize through planned meetups and activity sessions. The program is now being renewed for the spring semester following a positive reception from students who participated in the fall.

“In a survey we administered at the end of the program, 90 percent of those that responded said they’d recommend ProjectConnect to a friend,” Erica Weathers, clinician and outreach coordinator at the Counseling Services, said in an email interview with Mount Holyoke News. “Our peer facilitators are also awesome leaders and they have expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to co-lead these groups.”

Even before the start of ProjectConnect, high interest result- ed in the creation of a waitlist. The original program, which ran for five weeks beginning the week of Oct. 17, 2022, was designed to aid those interested in fostering connections across the many diverse communities on Mount Holyoke’s campus. In the spring semester, ProjectConnect plans to offer groups specifically geared toward international students and students who identify as neurodivergent.

“From a personal standpoint,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 u