
A Breakfast Craft attendee smiles at the Jan. 26 event at the Tyler Campus Center 250.Photo by Lydia Duperrier
Pepperdine’s Counseling Center and Resilience-Informed Skills Education are collaborating on a space where students can craft and get creative called the Breakfast Craft Club, said RISE program specialist Sergio Gallardo Palma. This program he was known as Crafternons for the fall semester.
During Breakfast Craft, people can engage in craft and meet new people, said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Connie Horton. Additionally, there are on-site counselors if students would like to consult a professional about their life.
“The idea was to allow students to come and refocus and express themselves in a space where they could be with others,” said Gallardo Palma. Creating helps our cognitive and social skills and helps us process things internally.”
Jason Wong, associate director and training director at the Counseling Center, came up with the idea for Breakfast Craft during the pandemic, he said.
“During the pandemic, I started crafting with friends. It helped ease the sense of isolation that many of us suffered from,” Wong said. Creating a space allows students to have a space to relax with others without feeling pressured to join the conversation, allowing everyone to create art and build relationships at their own pace. I thought it would work.”
RISE and the Counseling Center initially held the event in the afternoon, but it is now held in the morning due to Wong’s convenience. hope to attract.
Breakfast crafts include coloring books, origami, and snacks, according to an informational post on Instagram.

In addition to being a space where students can come together and focus on art, Wong says Breakfast Craft serves the purpose of helping students with their mental health.
College is a very lonely time and students can face challenges in making friends, Wong said. Opportunity.
Gallardo Palma said breakfast craft is important. This is because students need to have a space where they can take breaks and socialize with others.
“It’s the perfect space to create for students because it’s good for releasing tension and refocusing,” says Gallardo Palma.
Breakfast Craft also focuses on how having a creative space can help with resilience, Horton said.
“I think breakfast craft is great for Pepperdine because it allows students to learn resilience-based skills in a community setting,” said first grader Anna Huene. “The skills that RISE teaches are very useful just by using them, [themselves] Teaching them in a group setting fosters conversation and community among Pepperdine students participating in similar craft activities. ”
Part of resilience, says Horton, is someone understanding that it’s normal to be upset in a situation, but also recognizing that they have a say in how they handle the situation. According to Houghton, breakfast crafting is a calming activity that’s good for both mental health and resilience.
According to Houghton, a sedentary vessel can calm the mind and help someone think differently in less-than-ideal situations.
Wong said his favorite part of Breakfast Craft is creating art with the people around him.

“Working with your own hands and celebrating others doing the same is a very satisfying experience,” Wong said. It’s a lot of fun to encourage each other.”
This semester’s Breakfast Craft will be held every other Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Tyler Campus Center 250, Wong said.
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Please contact Alicia Dofelmier by email: alicia.dofelmier@pepperdine.edu