SHARE Communities
SHARE Communities are weekly student-led groups where peers with similar struggles, interests, or goals connect on an authentic level, build interpersonal communication skills, and help each other work toward greater mental wellness using their combined knowledge, resources, and wisdom.
All SHARE Community topics are developed by the peer co-facilitators based around their shared interests, identities, or mental/social wellness goals. Peers are highly encouraged to attend meetings every week (or as often as possible) to get the most benefit from their Community, but attendance is never mandatory.
Any UT student may submit an interest form and attend any open SHARE Community meeting at any time of the semester. Submitting an interest form is not a commitment, just a way to get connected!
DISCLAIMER
Please note that all SHARE Communities are student-facilitated and non-clinical, and are therefore not a replacement for therapy. Conversations with SHARE Support Specialists are private except in specific circumstances. If participants ever need outside professional assistance, SHARE peers will make every effort to help them connect to resources and empower them with information and options.
Spring 2023 SHARE Communities
AnxieTEA
Life is full of events that can bring up anxious thoughts and feelings, so come spill the tea with us! Although our experiences vary from person to person and day to day, lots of us can relate to feeling overwhelmed, perplexed, or even ashamed of our anxiety at times. You’re not alone! Connect with a cozy, non-clinical peer community each week for a (literal) cup of hot tea, conversation, mutual validation, and coping strategies! No formal diagnosis necessary.
Interest Form
Bevo Broken Hearts Club
Breakups – whether romantic or platonic – can be challenging and lonely. If you’re brokenhearted and feeling alone, we’re here to remind each other that we aren’t! In this peer-led community, we will create a safe space to vent about our broken hearts, encourage healing and self-reflection, and discover what healthy relationships can look like by building new ones together.
Interest Form
Connecting to Cultures
Discover a community of peers from different cultural backgrounds (i.e., Middle Eastern, South Asian, & Asian) that combines reflective discussions around culture and belonging. Build relationships with others and yourself through crafting and mindfulness. By sharing our experiences and support each week, we hope to reconnect and take pride in our own cultures while building genuine friendships and mutual appreciation.
Interest Form
Community Connection for Graduate Students
Graduate school can be stressful and isolating, but with a caring community it can feel more manageable. Join us in a weekly non-clinical, discussion-based space for authentic connection, validation of shared struggles, and mutual support by and for grad students! Submit interest form below to receive meeting link.
Loneliness in the Longhorn Experience
On such a large campus, it can be difficult to find “your people”. If you’ve been craving more connection, join our peer-led community where we’ll discuss shared feelings of social anxiety, loneliness, and isolation. Build friendships, self-compassion, confidence, and communication skills in a low-pressure space for mutual support and growth!
Interest Form
Navigating College with ADHD
Join us for a peer-led community where we’ll harness our ADHD powers together in a non-clinical, judgment-free space. Each week we’ll exchange tools and strategies, share stories and validation, destigmatize common ADHD experiences, and develop friendships along the way. NO formal diagnosis required!
Interest Form
New Roots: Cultivating African Mental Wellness
Being open and vulnerable about our emotions and mental health can be daunting, especially coming from an African immigrant background where those talks are often considered taboo. This, coupled with being a college student, can lead to burnout, isolation, stress, and more. Join us if you're seeking a safe space where you can feel supported, empowered, and validated in your experiences and identity while gaining communication and self-care skills!
Interest Form
Our Own Work of Art (LGBTQIA+)
Creative expression can help us define and embrace our authentic selves. Come connect in an art-based peer support community for LGBTQIA+ individuals where we'll process our emotions and identities through discussion and creative activities. No artistic experience or talent needed!
Interest Form
Reading Minds // Healing Rhymes
Calling all literature lovers and poets! This community opens a space for peers to connect through words - either their own or others - to understand each other and express their inner worlds. Each week will be centered around a topic related to the experience of being a human – our emotions, experiences, struggles, and joys. Activities will vary depending on everyone’s interests, but members will be encouraged to share their own favorite readings and/or written work (poems, book excerpts, quotes etc.) related to the topic. Fill out an interest form to connect and receive topic updates!
Interest Form
Self (Re)Image
In today's competitive and image-obsessed world, learning to love oneself can be a pretty daunting task, especially when society ostracizes those who don't fit the "standard." Join our peer-led, non-clinical community to connect, share our wisdom, and explore our feelings and struggles around self-love, body image, exercise, social media beauty culture, comparison, and more! ALL genders are welcome.
Interest Form
Small Fish, Big Pond
Are you a first gen, transfer, or international student, new to big city life, or simply feeling out of place at UT? We're all in the same boat in this weekly peer-led, discussion-based, judgment-free community! Join us for open discussion and mutual support around experiences like homesickness, impostor syndrome, academic stress, cultural adjustment, family pressure, and more!
Interest Form
Walkie Talkies
If your goals include spending more time outside, prioritizing your mental wellness, and/or building quality friendships and community with others, we have the space for you! At the end of every week, our community will meet to take walks around different areas of campus – or even the occasional off-campus hike, depending on shared interest – to blow off steam or discuss different wellness topics. All you need is a water bottle and your body. Let’s heal and grow together while experiencing nature!
Interest Form
Don’t see a SHARE Community topic that interests you or meets your needs?
Check out the list of clinician-led CMHC Groups, classes, and workshops offered on their website.
Want to lead your own SHARE Community?
Spring 2023 SHARE Support Specialist recruitment is open now! Apply online by October 28th. Application details and requirements can be found on the application form. Email us at longhornshareproject@utexas.edu with any questions, and follow @healthyhorns on social media for more updates.
