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 peer SHARE Support Specialists based around their shared interests, identities, or mental/social wellness goals, and provided as part of their course requirements for HED 178E and HED 178F.
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 members ever need outside professional assistance, they will make every effort to help them connect to resources and empower them with information and options.
Spring 2024 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's 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
Crafting Conversations
College can often leave you feeling stressed, busy, and drained, and it’s important to take some time to take care of yourself! Come join our peer-led community to engage in arts & crafts as a way to relax, self-reflect, and explore goals, thoughts, and feelings! No experience required, supplies will be provided, and you can take your craft home with you. Everyone is welcome to connect and create with us!
Interest Form
Global and First-Gen Bevos
Welcome to our inviting and accepting community where first-generation college students and international students come together to share, support, and thrive! Whether you're navigating uncharted academic territory, exploring a new culture, or grappling with the pressures of being a first-gen student, our peer support group is your go-to place for weekly solidarity, friendship, and encouragement.
Interest Form
GradFusion: Empowering Graduate Students
Graduate school can be a challenging and stressful time. Join our peer-led support group to find community, identify and get validation around your emotions and needs, and exchange strategies to support each other as we navigate the competing pressures and roles of graduate student life.
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
SHAREing Sunshine: Support for Tough Times
Have you been feeling the weight of sadness, grief, or depression? Join a cozy community of peers who can empathize and help each other and overcome the isolation, self-stigma, and inertia that often accompany tough times. Whether this is a new issue you’ve never talked about or something you’ve been processing in therapy for a while, this is a non-clinical space for us to open up without filters, share the weight, and find hope through exchanging stories, encouragement, and coping strategies. No diagnosis required.
Interest Form
Shy Longhorns Society
Are you shy, introverted, socially anxious? All of the above? No worries. At a campus as big as UT, it can be difficult to be shy and make meaningful connections/friendships. At the Shy Longhorns Society, we come together to create a community built upon support and validation for the struggles of being socially anxious/shy at UT. We remind each other that we are not alone and come up with ways to overcome our difficulties.
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?
We recruit new students to get trained to be SHARE Support Specialists every Fall semester. See our Contact Us page for more information about this unique opportunity. Email longhornshareproject@utexas.edu if you’d like to be added to our email list, and follow @healthyhorns on social media for more updates!
