Drake University’s counseling center staff launched a weekly program this semester to encourage students to step away from their living space and the classroom and take time for themselves.
The Third Space, held every Friday from 1-3 p.m. in the Johansen Student Center, provides students with a designated study and relaxation space as well as offering lessons on mental health. Each week has a different program, such as attention and focus, and creative mindfulness.
Sociologist Ray Oldenberg coined the term “third place” in his 1989 book “The Great Good Place.” The “first place” is the home, and the “second place” is work, but Oldenberg argues that people need a separate third place for community, connection, and relaxation.
Tyler Jacobs-Lewis, the lead counselor at the Drake Student Counseling Center, wanted to create this space on campus for students.
“This allows for you to continue to build community, learn new skills, do things outside of the typical structure that we call a school or work setting,” Jacobs-Lewis said.
Jacobs-Lewis acknowledged that it’s hard for Drake students to take a break with the number of classes, activities, and jobs they need to go to. He hopes that the Third Space can help students step away from the “Drake Busy” mentality.
“Because [Drake] is so productivity-minded, you don’t have a lot of people telling you, ‘Hey, slow down. Remember the human in you, too. Eat some food, take a deep breath, and just walk around campus because that’s what you feel like doing,’” Jacobs-Lewis said. “You’re always told to go, go, go, get to the next meeting, get to the next class. It is important that you remember, ‘Okay, this is where I get to slow down.’”
College is an important time for career readiness, but Jacobs-Lewis wants students to remember to do the things they enjoy and make time for themselves.
“You guys are doing internships with some of the biggest companies in the city and in the nation. That’s a lot of pressure,” Jacobs-Lewis said. “That is a lot of energy and time that you’re spending on something that, yes, you’re going to do for a really long time in your life. But also, it leaves you not remembering, ‘Hey, before all this started, I was just a kid, and I like to watch football on Friday nights with my friends.’”
Sophomore Gracie Hines, a peer success coach with Access and Success, is glad the counseling center is offering this program.
“Obviously, we’re all here for an education and things like that, but at the same time, we’re all here to have a good time, be with people, have new experiences, and things like that,” Hines said. “Being able to take time for yourself is healthy for you.”
Emma Caster, a counselor working at the Drake Student Counseling Center and collaborator on the Third Space program, had the idea of giving the program a recurring and consistent schedule and setting.
“Sometimes there will be educational presentations on mental health topics, sometimes there will be mindfulness or de-stressing exercises, sometimes there will be community spaces focused on celebration or socialization,” Caster said in an email interview.
The Attention and Focus 101 presentation on Sept. 12 was postponed to a later date. However, students attending the Third Space on Sept. 19 can look forward to a creative mindfulness program.
“A lot of us [counselors] have been wanting to move to more creative-based ways of engagement,” Jacobs-Lewis said. “Having creative mindfulness just really came from a place of students getting a chance to just create, just do art, bring your friends, but you don’t have to worry about your phone, you don’t have to worry about class.”
In the future, Jacobs-Lewis wants to collaborate with community members or student organizations in planning Third Space events.
“We really want this to be a living, breathing thing that gets to change and ebb and flow,” Jacobs-Lewis said.
Caster shared the sentiment and looks forward to engaging with students to further develop the program.
“This only works if students show up and help build it,” Caster said. “There’s no Third Space without students, so we are open to feedback on how to best serve Drake students with our Third Space programming!”
