Community Care Days foster connection and creativity across the School of Social Welfare

At the School of Social Welfare, Community Care Days offer a welcome pause from the pressures of academics. The series gives students, faculty and staff a chance to recharge and connect with one another through scheduled events.

“The School of Social Welfare hosts a number of events as part of a Community Care Days series to create opportunities for students, faculty and staff to connect outside of the classroom,” said Vanessa Sanburn, associate director of practicum education and co-coordinator of the series.

The fall semester’s events included weekly Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) sessions, Mindfulness and Magnets, Painting for the Present, Advocacy: Essential to Social Work, a Book Swap, and Rock Painting.

Embedded Clinician Carley Sherer, who led “Painting for the Present,” said she wanted to broaden students’ understanding of what mindfulness can look like.

“Mindfulness comes in many forms, which is what I wanted to show students during my care day event,” Sherer said. “It doesn't have to just mean deep breathing; it means doing something that brings your awareness to the present moment, and non-judgmentally observing thoughts and feelings that may come up.”

The Mindfulness & Magnets event, hosted by Amea Chandler at the Hawks Nest on the KU Edwards Campus, invited participants to make decorative magnets, enjoy snacks and even design artwork on rocks as an alternative activity. The event fits into the goals of Community Care Days, which is designed to offer creative, accessible ways to unwind and build community.

One way to drive connection is through collaboration and teamwork. That’s part of what inspired Audrey Foster to lead the weekly Community Care Days D&D campaign.

“I wanted to host the D&D campaign because tabletop role-playing games have been a fantastic way for me to connect with friends and family in my personal life for the roughly 15 years I’ve been playing them,” Foster said.

She added that the impact of the game goes far beyond recreation.

“Seven of my closest friends are people I’ve either met through or stayed in contact with purely because of our playing weekly games together,” said Foster, a senior administrative associate at the school. “Hosting this event each semester is a small but important way for me to share that possibility for community, connection and belonging with the school.”

Foster believes the sessions resonate because they offer “a consistent creative outlet,” as well as a playful space for taking risks and forming connections.

“I like to think that in many ways games like these are a way for people to practice being active participants in the world around them,” she explained. “That’s especially important for those in the field of social work, who need to be bold and active in their communities to create positive change.”

Books also found their place in this fall’s Community Care Days. Sanburn, who hosted the Book Swap, said she chose the event because of her own love of reading and its power to build relationships.

“I believe that books have a unique ability to spark conversations and build community,” Sanburn said. “The idea was to create a space where people could pick up a new book for upcoming holiday travel or for over the winter break.”

Books left after the event were added to the free little library in the Green Hall student lounge, ensuring ongoing access for those who could not attend.

Looking ahead, planning for the spring Community Care Days is already underway. Sanburn and Assistant Professor Joonmo Kang will co-host a Plant Swap as part of next semester’s offerings, continuing the program’s goal of cultivating community, creativity and care across the School of Social Welfare.