ProjectConnect Reviews and Testimonials

“Students really appreciate this opportunity to meet new people - whether it was new students looking to make friends, or returning students looking to expand their existing friend circles. ProjectConnect is the total package - it's simple and effective, easy to implement and scale, and accessible at a great price point.”

—Leah Berkenwald
Director of Health Promotion and Wellness Initiatives Brandeis University 

“My time as a ProjectConnect Facilitator is among some of my most cherished, fulfilling memories of my college career. To have a dedicated time and space for deep, personal conversations with people I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise is truly an unprecedented opportunity for growth and connection.”

—Lynn, student facilitator

“Mount Holyoke College is a vibrant and diverse community and yet, some students really struggle to make connections with their peers. ProjectConnect offered the perfect opportunity to build community and foster a sense of belonging among our students. 90% of our participants said that they would recommend ProjectConnect to a friend and all ten of our co-facilitators expressed a desire to facilitate another group in the future.”

—Erica Weathers,
Clinical Social Works and Outreach Coordinator, Mt Holyoke College

"ProjectConnect is a great way for students to meet and bond with other students. After each session, I felt a stronger connection with the group, and in turn, with my community. I highly recommend ProjectConnect to anyone who is looking to foster deeper connections within their community!"

—Veronica, student facilitator

"As a facilitator, I loved participating in ProjectConnect! Over the course of a month and a half we established a tight-knit group of dorm residents that really became a great support community. The potential for ProjectConnect is huge: it aims to fix the communication gap in today's world between people from vastly different backgrounds, and ultimately make the world a better place. I was glad to have played a small role as facilitator for the program and hope the magic of ProjectConnect continues.”

—Nate, student facilitator

"I struggled a lot with connection at my first college, and ProjectConnect was so meaningful to me. Not only did it allow me to connect with the other students in groups I was facilitating, I became close with the other facilitators. I've seen the good ProjectConnect can do and felt it myself. All that to say, thank you! This program helped me during a hard time. ProjectConnect rocks!”

—Stella, student facilitator

“ProjectConnect is a powerful way for campuses to offer students an opportunity for belonging and to protect mental health at the student and population level. Sometimes I've explained the program as a "friendship lab," giving students the opportunity, so rarely afforded, to try out friendship and authentic connection in a supportive space!”

—Madeline Hope
Director, Health and Wellness Education at Middlebury College

“ProjectConnect provides opportunities to ALL students (and staff, in some cases) to build relationships with others, through active listening, respectful communication, and compassion. These opportunities can be few and far between for many people. The experience ProjectConnect offers, of feeling seen, heard, and valued is critical to our social, emotional, mental, and physical well-being.”

—Jane Lizotte
Assistant Superintendent for Community Partnerships and Well-Being at Shrewsbury Public Schools

"I found the ProjectConnect training so helpful and I'm completely bought in! I'm going to be using the ProjectConnect program in my middle school work, as well as in my volunteer work (a theater class, and coaching the 7th and 8th grade lacrosse team). I often struggle with impostor syndrome and feel like I don't belong, but I felt very seen and heard at this training. Jessica is such kind facilitator- so open and warm."

—Natalie Philpot, facilitator

“I think ProjectConnect could be the most incredible thing that has ever happened in this place. In fact, I'd like to see every school and college implement it.”

—Administrator, Claremont Colleges

“Endicott College was thrilled to bring ProjectConnect to our campus during the pandemic. Our students were extremely restricted in terms of being able to meet people. ProjectConnect offered an opportunity for students to come together, develop friendships and collectively support one another during a very challenging time. In fact, ProjectConnect was awarded the Social Program of the Year—a distinction given to the program that contributed most to the sense of community on campus.”

—Lindsey Singleton
Assistant Director of the Counseling Center at Endicott College

“ProjectConnect is an amazing and unique experience to help foster connection and community on campus. It’s a great way to help students open up to one another in a circumstance that wouldn’t have been possible without this program. Being a facilitator offers experience and knowledge to students, creating great leadership and understanding skills.”

—Chayla, student facilitator

“I value the roadmap that ProjectConnect sets out for facilitators and how accessible the information is. This is an important tool that I believe can be life-changing for a lot of incoming and returning students that will assist in creating life-long connections.”

—Staff, St. Cloud University

“The ProjectConnect training was an amazing 5 hours where I was able to learn, vibe and connect on the messaging of how to best create space for our students who may be less motivated or have a feeling or sense of loneliness.”

—Katrina Banks, facilitator

“I see the benefit of ProjectConnect as being part of the solution to address loneliness on campus and in our community. I believe it takes a village to bring connection and to help people thrive - this offers a pathway for us to come together to help address a known issue (loneliness) that has many devastating impacts on health. There are only positive gains to Project Connect!”

—Alicia Wodika
Associate Professor, Illinois State University

“I really like the structure to the program and I think it's a great way to connect people, especially who have a hard time making meaningful connections.”

—Jim Almeda, facilitator

“The impact is of ProjectConnect is so large! Allowing the ability to have first year students feel at home on our campus is amazing!”

—Anna, student facilitator

“ProjectConnect is a great way to engage faculty, staff and students to build a community of belonging.”
—Tracey A. Smith
Success Coach, Cheyney University 1st HBCU

“It’s amazing to do something like this for those who may be silently struggling. It isn't easy to share or to be vulnerable with others, but ProjectConnect creates safe spaces to do so without feeling judged! There are so many tactics learned about how you can better yourself in understanding social situations and help others feel appreciated!”

—Lauren Lugo, student facilitator

“I see the biggest value of ProjectConnect as being able to see the connections group members are making and seeing the impact this program has on our students!”
—Jaiden Moore, facilitator

“ProjectConnect melts away the timidness and inhibition often felt when meeting new people. Every time I participated in a group, I left with stronger connections between myself and the other members.”

—Brandt, participant

“Joining ProjectConnect was a really good way for me to come out of my comfort zone and open up to new people. ProjectConnect has helped me to express myself more freely and has allowed me to get to know myself better.”

—Nizaya, participant

“I loved being able to check in with the same group each week and start to build up meaningful relationships. By the middle of our sessions I felt really comfortable talking about things I don't usually talk about, which was really refreshing. If enough students participate, this has the potential to change the social culture on campus.”

—Student participant

“This was an extremely valuable experience. I was able to share in community with people I wouldn’t usually encounter. I learned to be open and vulnerable with people who I don’t know well, and it made me want to be more open with people I do know.”

—Student participant

“There's something about the open and deep life conversations that I don't see often on campus. It wasn't until ProjectConnect came around that I saw these types of conversations coming into fruition and it was surprising that it was also happening with people that I was meeting for the first time.”

—Student participant

“Project Connect did a great job of teaching me how to be a deeper listener and to practice the mantra of take space/make space. This will definitely help me with my pod and any relationships that I have in my life at the moment.”

—Student participant

“ProjectConnect is a really good way to branch out and meet new people in a way that encourages deep thinking and a strong connection.”

—Siegel, participant

“You get to know people who are in the same situation at you. You build community and feel part of a lovely group.”

—Braulio, participant