The Problems
1
The Lack of Dialogue
Lack of Dialogue has been a big issue within the community of Hays and Students at Fort Hays State University. With social media, dialogue has decreased among everyone. This issue can become a big challenge going forward. It can become a big social issue. Furthermore it can isolate everyone. And lastly, it can be the cause of many health issues.
2
Weak Professional Development
Social Media has pushed a lot of humor among the GenX and tasks are not being taken seriously. Professional development revolves around gaining new skills, advancing in their respective careers, and being confident in their area of study/work. This affects the individuals drastically. We believe that students and humans that lack professional development are less successful in their upcoming future.
3
Mental Health
Mental Health issue has become a more prominent issue facing the current generation. At Fort Hays State University, students have severely been impacted by social media. According to an article written by the Hays in 2019, the Kelly Center at Fort Hays State, in the 2014-15 school year had 1,950 appointments with students addressing their mental health. In the 2018-19 school year, that amount nearly doubled, with 4,120 students seeking help on campus alone. Gina Smith, licensed master level psychologist and director of Kelly Center stated that depression and anxiety are the majority of student complaints. This could be that people are feeling isolated, lonely, and jealous. These factors are a big troll on people and can cause many issues.
Our
Mission
Creating meaningful opportunities for conversation, communication , and connection in the Hays community.
Our
Vision
Uniting Hays with meaningful dialogue
PROJECTS
Tabling in the Union
Organized by Event Planner Morgan Keith, we were able to engage with the students at Fort Hays State University while Tabling in the Memorial Union. By doing this, students could learn more about 'Can We Just Talk?' and sign up for our Remind app that sent out text messages to keep the attendees up to date.
Couch on the Quad
Organized by Event Planner Morgan Keith, we provided the students of FHSU with both coffee and hot chocolate. Students could answer the question 'What inspires you?' on the couch, creating valued dialogue. We used coupons and handouts to tell students what Can We Just Talk is about and invite them to join us.
Hosting at Can We Just Talk
As a group, we were responsible for many different tasks to keep 'Can We Just Talk?' as smooth as possible. Faith Little was tasked with reaching out to speakers to ensure that they were able to join us and meet with speakers before the event. Kabir Bhakta was responsible for the Remind app and Sign-Up sheet. Diana Angarita kept the event in the public eye by posting on social media and Morgan Keith worked towards finding conclusive evidence that this event was helping people with the Google Form that was used each night to collect data from the attendees.
FHSU Parade
During Homecoming week, Fort Hays State University and the community are able to partake in the annual Parade. Our group along with some volunteers handed out coupons, free coffee, hot chocolate, and information about 'Can We Just Talk?'. This was a great opportunity for our group to network, get the word out about this event, and invite people that may not be sure what exactly 'Can We Just Talk?' is about.