Concordia offers first-year students a fun new meeting space to beat isolation

With the winter 2021 term looming, the need for personal connection is as strong as ever. This is especially true for first-year students, who are inevitably lacking much of the in-person socializing and learning that makes the new experience of university so exciting.

The good news is there is a pilot program aimed to help Concordia newcomers beat isolation.

Homeroom is a weekly meeting space for first-years to learn, connect and grow. It provides them with the opportunity to come together in weekly small groups, facilitated by upper-year students, and learn about the information needed to succeed at Concordia.

Topics range from clubs and services to proper stress-management techniques to navigating the university experience. The emphasis of these weekly one-hour meetings is on discussion — frequent back-and-forth conversations and enriching presentations — while simultaneously fostering friendships between students.

‘It’s really mint’

So far, feedback on the program has been exceedingly positive, with most current participants now closely knit with their fellow Homeroom members.

“Homeroom helps me get through my week. It gives me a time to relax and it motivates me knowing it happens every Thursday,” says Anne-Sophie Malboeuf, a marketing and international business student at the John Molson School of Business. “I am happy to be part of this, and I would suggest it to anyone looking for a community.”

Max Gervais, who is studying history in the Faculty of Arts and Science, sees Homeroom as an antidote to these difficult days.

“It’s really fun and it relieves some of the stress from everything bad going on in the world. It also allowed me to meet people I now consider friends who I know I can turn to when I need help. It’s really mint.”

First-year Concordia students can register for Homeroom today.