Friday, January 3, 2020

YALE OFFERING "BOUNCY CASTLE", "COOKIES & COLORING" ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS

YALE OFFERING "BOUNCY CASTLE", "COOKIES & COLORING" ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS
 Adult students encouraged to play children's games to relieve anxiety
BY DAN LYMAN
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research 
purposes:
Students at Yale University are being encouraged to participate in a variety of programs offered by the Chaplain’s Office, including a weekly “Cookies and Coloring” hour and a campus “Bouncy Castle” during nice weather.
The children’s activities are promoted as opportunities for adult students to relieve anxiety and disconnect from technology at the Ivy League institution.
“Join the Chaplain’s Office for a weekly Cookies and Coloring Study Break on Thursdays from 4-5pm in Breathing Space,” reads the program’s website.
“Take an hour to put down your phone, color (don’t worry there’s no judging your artistic ability), have a freshly baked cookie, and great conversation.”
On the school’s “Bouncy Castle” web page, students are invited to, “Check out our new Bouncy Castle for your anxiety relief needs.”
“Bring a friend and bounce out your stress. We’ll be up around campus when the weather is nice.”
“I would’ve been embarrassed to see this in high school, and this is a university chaplain’s office,” observed one Twitter user. “I could sort of see a social service program where students go play with kids, but this is actually for the adults.”
“At their age, my father faced direct fire from the Vietcong.”
Other programs offered by the Chaplain’s Office include “Do a 180,” through which participants can volunteer at local organizations such as Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) and the Ronald McDonald House.
Additionally, the “W{holy] Queer” program invites “those of all spiritual persuasions and religious traditions to monthly dinner discussions that explore the intersections of all things queer and religious!”
Yale University, one of the nation’s oldest, was founded by Puritan clergymen who established the college as an institution to educate and train future ministers.