CoJourn for UMass Graduate Students & Postdocs!

Cojourn

CoJourn: A peer-to-peer program to support well-being

  • Have you been putting off a personal project or goal?
  • Do you want to start, change, or improve something in your life, but aren’t sure where to begin?
  • Are you worried that focusing on your well-being in the winter will be even that much harder?
  • Do you wish you had someone to encourage you and help you stay focused on your intentions?

Prioritizing your well-being doesn’t have to be a challenge. And you don’t need to do it alone.
These challenging times are calling for all of us to adapt to new ways of living our usual lives. Setting up additional structures of support and opportunities to create social connection can be an important step in boosting well-being, staying engaged, and enabling us to meet the challenges before us.

We all can use more follow-through, accountability, and connection in our lives. That’s where CoJourn for UMass Graduate Students & Postdocs can make that difference for you. CoJourn helps you finally prioritize what matters most to you, while connecting with a partner for mutual support and accountability.    

We are pleased to offer CoJourn again starting in January 2024!

  • The CoJourn program will run from January 22nd - April 14th. Registration for CoJourn 2024 is now closed.
  • While the Graduate School and the Campus Life and Wellbeing Collaborative are covering most of the cost of CoJourn for graduate students and postdocs, there is a $25 individual registration fee to participate in the 12-week program. The fee is eligible for the wellness reimbursement benefit for graduate student employees, and there will be a limited number of fee waivers available for those for whom the cost is prohibitive.

What is CoJourn?

CoJourn is a personal growth and goal achievement program that trains pairs of people to partner up for more external accountability, connection, and support as they go after their big goals and dreams. The program helps you finally prioritize what matters most to you, while connecting with a partner you choose for mutual support and accountability. The CoJourn model was developed by UMass Amherst alumna Dr. Molly Keehn along with Karl Henricksen.

Questions? Email GradCoJourn [at] umass [dot] edu (GradCoJourn[at]umass[dot]edu) 

The CoJourn process:

  • Receive program guidance and support from CoJourn to get the most from your journey.
  • Choose a partner. It’s great if you pick a UMass partner but you don’t have to. You can pick any partner you like! If you don't have someone in mind, you can sign up to be matched with a partner. See these tips for asking someone to partner with you for CoJourn.
  • Set an intention related to an area of your life that you want to work on for a sustained period of time (3 months).
  • Check in with one another 30 minutes each week for approximately 3 months (in person, by phone, or online) to share updates on your goals and to offer compassionate, non-judgmental support along the way.
  • Set small, manageable, and achievable goals for the upcoming week that help you to move toward your intention.

Examples of past participants' intentions: 

  • Finish that project that I keep putting off 
  • Make more time for joy and fun 
  • Prioritize my own needs 
  • Stay socially connected amid the pandemic 
  • Learn strategies to manage my anxiety better
  • Feel strong and healthy in my body 
  • Get more organized 

Videos:

CoJourn benefits include:

  • Sustained focus and follow through on something you want in your life 
  • Weekly, protected time to slow down and reflect on what's important to you 
  • A closer connection with another person who knows about your life 
  • The gift of learning from the struggles and successes of your partner 
  • The opportunity to celebrate small successes together

Videos: 

Recommendations from UMass graduate students & postdocs:

This is the third year we are offering CoJourn for UMass Graduate Students & Postdocs. The response from the past two years' participants was very positive - 94% would recommend CoJourn to a friend or colleague. Testimonials from previous participants:

  • “One of the best 'sign-ups' I've made in my grad life - highly recommend!” 
  • “CoJourn was a wonderful way to deepen my relationship with a friend while accomplishing my goals.”
  • “There is much more to life than the things we do. CoJourn curates a space to work towards the areas that often go overlooked."
  • “Just take the leap and join! CoJourn has been incredibly helpful in providing me with connection and accountability in a very isolating process of finishing my dissertation. Through CoJourn I have been able to show up for myself and my community which has truly helped my academic work.” 
  • “As someone who was feeling a bit disconnected to my work and to others at the college, CoJourn helped bring me purpose. My partner was in a completely different field, and yet we faced similar challenges. I would recommend CoJourn to anyone who could use that extra push to meet their goals, whatever those may be.”
  • “If you're on the fence about committing to CoJourn, I would whole-heartedly encourage you to try it! … The CoJourn goals [of my partner and I] were quite different, and we were able to approach each other with curiosity and positivity. And we don't want to stop - we'll continue our partnership beyond the 12-week program!”

Registration for CoJourn has closed. Please email GradCoJourn@umass.edu with any questions.

The 12-week CoJourn program for UMass Grad Students & Postdocs will run from January 22nd through April 14th. You and your partner will receive weekly emails and other support from CoJourn and the Graduate School throughout the program.

While the Graduate School and the Campus Life and Wellbeing Collaborative are covering most of the cost of CoJourn, there is a $25 individual registration fee to participate in the 12-week program. The fee is eligible for the wellness reimbursement benefit for graduate student employees, and there will be a limited number of fee waivers available for those for whom the cost is prohibitive.

If you have questions about CoJourn for UMass Graduate Students and Postdocs, email GradCoJourn@umass.edu.