Friends Through A Screen

Reading week is a time where we, as students, can relax and catch up on schoolwork that may have piled up, or sometimes we use reading week just to have fun or work. With online classes, it might be hard to make friends nowadays and it can leave us feeling pretty lonely. Students who are coming into University for the first time or are transferring from a small city/town or another university are faced with the difficulty of connecting with other students. Online classes can be difficult, and with that lack of connection we, as students, feel isolated. Sometimes kindness comes differently, how we as individuals act towards others can make a huge impact on someone.

The end of reading week brings us closer to the end of this semester, as students, we have faced a lot this semester since changing to an online format. Each day we get one step closer to achieving our goals. We have to take into account our mental health and how it has been affected while taking these online classes. That lack of connection from other students, can make us feel isolated and alienated. To use these tips can have a heavy impact on how we feel. As students, we strive to do our best, but sometimes our best might hinder our mental health and our emotions. Reading week was a time for us to heal, to rebuild ourselves and it allowed for us to not feel isolated and alienated but to have connections with our friends, and to create new friendships.
These tips highlight how we can make friends over the fall and winter semesters online, but also the benefit of making friends online.

Tips for Making Friends in Online Classes:

1. Connect through social media:
   We all use some sort of social media and being able to connect with others through social media makes it more useful. Connecting through social media is so simple and perfect for students because we spend the majority of our time on social media, it is the cornerstone for connecting with our friends.
   

2. Breakout rooms
   When we are assigned to breakout rooms during class, it allows for us to have a chance to connect with our classmates. The breakout rooms are a perfect place to talk in your groups and try to connect about how weird online classes have been. It allows us as students to bond together in this weird time by knowing we are not alone in this process.
   

3. Using the school events to connect
   The school plans online events which are a good place to meet with new people and friendly faces. Using these events to benefit you in making friendships is important. Every month we have events that allow us to relax but also connect with other students. These events can be the beginning of a new friendship in the works. Keeping an eye out for those school events is a good idea because you never know what it will bring.
   

4. Plan to meet in-person
   Of course if you plan on doing this one, you got to be safe if you plan to meet in person. With COVID-19 going on it is important to make sure you are safe, meeting in person can be a sense of relief for us as students. Since we can connect with others in person it creates a deeper bond, having a shared experience that isn’t away apart of school.
   
   
   Alcohol & Drug Awareness:
   It is always good to be informed about alcohol and drugs. The Cue Wellness is hosting a Cannabis Café to have a better understanding of the recreational drug that some people might take. Here are some websites to see:
   To learn more facts about opioids – https://knowmoreopioids.ca/
   You can access it 24/7 through the Alberta health link to learn more
   https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/Service.aspxid=1077952&serviceAtFacilityID=1122569
   Learn more about drinking sensible – https://www.drinksenseab.ca/
   Cannabis Café discussion 23rd & 25th @ 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Resources for Students:
Career Services: They provide students and alumni with help regarding jobs and career
planning, they also help with job search, cover letters and resume writing
| Website: https://concordia.ab.ca/student-services/career-services/students-alumni/ | Email: careerservices@concordia.ab.ca
Library: The library helps students if they need assistance with research or other resources through their website, it is perfect for students to go to when trying to start that research paper
Website: https://concordia.ab.ca/library/

Other Resources
211 Alberta – Edmonton and Area (24/7)
Referral line to any social, health and government services including counselling and mental.
Text STUDENT to 211 http://www.ab.211.ca
Health Link 811 (24/7)
Medical advice and info online.
Call 811
http://albertahealthservices.ca/assets/healthinfo/link/index.html

By Deborah Olawale