Title: Community as a Factor of Resilience in a Changing World
Presenter(s):
Jeremy Lightner (he/him)
Franklin Nunez Simono (he/him)
Amani Johnson (she/her)
Room: Pyon Su 2108
Session Block(s): Session IV
Time: 2:55 p.m. to 3:55 p.m.
Duration: 60 minutes
Program Abstract:
Amid ongoing sociopolitical pressures, student affairs professionals must support students while managing the impact of harmful systems in their own lives. Through small-group discussions, reflective exercises, and collaborative problem-solving, this interactive session examines how community and belonging support resilience within shifting sociopolitical conditions. Presenters and participants will co-create the session by sharing experiences, generating ideas, and building a collective network centered on community care and mutual support.
Program Description:
This session explores how community and belonging function as protective factors for individuals and organizations navigating instability and change. Using a counseling-informed lens, we examine how relational connection, shared purpose, and collective care cultivate resilience in higher education. Similar to the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, student affairs professionals continue supporting students while navigating systems of harm in their own lives. Although belonging is well-established within the social determinants of health, dominant structures rooted in capitalism and individualism often undermine our ability to create and sustain community. This workshop highlights examples of community care efforts within our own departments and invites participants to contribute their wisdom, strategies, and experiences to co-create a broader network of practitioners committed to shared resilience.
This interactive, active-learning session incorporates small-group brainstorming, collaborative meaning-making, reflective writing, and problem-solving. Participants will explore the diverse meanings of “community,” examine how belonging is created and sustained on campus, and develop a shared working definition relevant to student affairs practice. Through a gallery walk and facilitated reflection, participants identify how community functions as a buffer during moments of stress, change, or burnout, and consider whose resilience is supported, overlooked, or constrained within institutional systems.