We All Need Human Connection
Human connection is essential to a healthy happier life. I believe in spreading the word about Yana. I came up with the concept of YANA in 2021 after returning to face-to-face classes and realizing that my students were struggling with reentry back into the classroom. Everyone felt disconnected from spending a year isolated from others. Yana means You Are Not Alone. But despite what we see on social media, too many people feel alone. This is the reason I started my podcast “Communication for your Situation” to highlight stories of everyday people just like you. People whose stories I find inspiring… and I hope you do too!
Yana = Human Connection – Yana is being the person who reaches out and makes a difference in someone else’s life and in doing finds purpose and meaning in your own.
New UNM Club Tells Students “YANA”
It’s a set of seemingly random letters with a purpose.
YANA, which stands for You Are Not Alone, is a new club housed within UNM’s Communication and Journalism (C&J) Department.
The mission of YANA is within the name–to make students of all ages on UNM’s campus understand their struggles do not have to be handled by themselves.
The group is headed by Professor Heidi Ricci, who was inspired to expand her classes on conflict management to extracurriculars. She understood after over 20 years as a mediator and a professor, opening emotional doors and sharing can be monumental. (Read the full article here)
Conflict Management Course Leads to Uniting UNM Community
In just two short days, 60 students walked the pathways around The University of New Mexico passing out 300 stickers and 200 cards with positive messages of affirmation to complete strangers – not part of a class assignment – just a friendly gesture to let their peers know they are not alone in anything they do.
“I accomplished being present,” Gabrielle Rodriguez said. “I was excited for the walk and the meaning it held so when we were walking, I felt in it, like I was making a difference in someone’s day.”
“As my students said in class one day, ‘We are Lobos and when you are part of a pack, you never walk alone.’” – Heidi Ricci, UNM C&J instructor
(Read the full article here )
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