Stories from a Distance: Initiative to Combat Pandemic Isolation
The Stories from a Distance Team was an initiative that ran weekly sessions from from March-December 2020. We started this project as a way to create an online community to combat isolation and loneliness in the midst of the pandemic. This inspired many additional projects and initiatives at the Innovation Hub, which you can explore below.
Fall/Winter 2020-2021
How can we foster a sense of community during the pandemic?
Community building at U of T has always been important. The pandemic has exacerbated
community building; students report that it has created increased disconnection through social isolation. We wanted to know what community building in this context entails. This project was carried out to provide insights to people offering programming around this online community building.
KEY FINDINGS
Successful digital communities act as secure anchors for students.
Community builders can secure students in multiple ways: by creating open spaces
that are attentive to intimacy and vulnerability; by developing and reasserting a shared
community experience and history; by fostering student-centric and student/participant-led community online spaces.
Our findings play out in four themes:
- The Power of Vulnerability
- Sharing is Caring
- Empowering Student Voices
