Colors and Connection

An effective, engaging approach to creating connection on college campuses

1 out of every 3 students on campuses say that they’re LONELY….You can do something about it.

To address the growing epidemic of loneliness and social isolation on college campuses across the country, the Foundation for Art & Healing (FAH), through our Campus UnLonely project, offers programs that harness the power of creative expression to engage, inspire, empower, and connect a diverse array of students and other communities within the campus environment.

Bring Campus UnLonely to Your School!

Make your campus UnLonely with Campus Colors & Connection!

Campus Colors & Connection is a one-hour workshop that brings people together with “connecting through colors” activities. We provide you with thought-provoking exercises that stimulate rich conversations and authentic engagement.

Campus Colors & Connection combines the power of art-making and conversation to bring people together through authentic engagement and interaction.

Program participants have a chance to explore and grow their creative intelligence as they discover how color can express and reflect moods and emotions. The program helps nurture peer-to-peer communication which is increasingly viewed by Campus Life experts as essential for students navigating the complexities of the college experience.

College administrators, faculty, students – really anyone who wants to be part of the solution to the loneliness epidemic – can implement Colors & Connection. Using an online platform to enable wide-scale program distribution and uptake, Colors & Connection is readily accessible and easy to deliver.

“At the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, we’ve seen how essential a sense of connection and belonging is as students navigate their educational and life journeys. The Colors & Connection workshop was a great, joyful experience for our students, offering a fun, creative arts-filled way to share thoughts and feelings, have real conversations, and get to know themselves and each other better.”

Joe Behen, PhD, Dean of the Wellness Center, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Bring other “UnLonely” Programs to Your School!

In addition to Colors & Connection, we have NEW workshops that are available to connect students with each other in fun, engaging ways:

Writing & Connection
Movement & Connection
Music & Connection
Storytelling & Connection

Each workshop combines mindfulness, creative expression, and social emotional learning.

You can also hold film screenings using Project UnLonely Films to engage students around topics and issues of interest to them.

Anyone can be a facilitator!

Learn more about how to bring Campus UnLonely to your school!

Register for one of our free Information Sessions; the schedule is below (no experience or special skills needed).
During the Information Session, you’ll learn more about Campus UnLonely membership options, including specific programs that are available, pricing, and benefits to your school.
Once your school becomes a Campus UnLonely member:

You’ll have access to our online portal with a full scripted curriculum, facilitator guide, and other materials needed to deliver the workshops. It’s super user-friendly!
You’ll have the option to join free training sessions to learn more about how to deliver the workshops.
You’ll have access to our Film Screening Toolkit to learn how to use our library of powerful short films to build connection among students.

Then, you just need to plan a date and location, publicize your workshop or film screening, invite people to participate, and plan logistics for the session.
Go for it! Enjoy facilitating an engaging Campus UnLonely workshop or film screening.

“A beautiful way to remind students about the power of the arts when it comes to emotional expression, especially when right-brain training is often less prioritized in education.“

– Peer facilitator

“I liked getting to make art that represented parts of myself. I feel like color and abstract drawings help me to express things I cannot express in words.“

– Student participant

Join an upcoming Information Session!

We offer live, virtual Information Sessions about Campus UnLonely, how it helps connect students, and how you can bring it to your school. Join us!

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 from 2:00 – 3:00 ET
Monday, August 11, 2025 from 4:00 – 5:00 ET
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 from 2:00 – 3:00 ET
Monday, October 6, 2025 from 4:00 – 5:00 ET

We’re in this together

The Foundation for Art & Healing develops innovative programs that ignite the power of creativity, the imagination, and the arts to improve health and well-being in individuals and communities. Our evidence-informed approaches are based upon the science of creativity, and have demonstrated that the arts are transformational in engaging our hearts and our minds, elevating empathy, compassion, and connection to oneself and others.

Creative expression has the power to improve well-being by helping us understand ourselves, shifting perspectives, and reinforcing positive behaviors. Physiologically, making art has dramatic effects on our bodies: reducing blood pressure, bolstering our immune system, improving brain cognition, and fighting inflammation.