in relation is created by Mytam Mayo-Smith, writer and workshop guide, and Alexia Charoud, sound designer and live musician. All scripted sequences and sound tracks used in the workshop are original.

What is it?

In relation is an experimental workshop with the goal of creating a safe space for collective sharing on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the diverse cultural perceptions of mental health and well-being: through the mediums of conversation, sound, and movement.

Our reflection rests in the territory of relations. What is our relationship to our body, to our social spheres, to mental health culture, after one year of the pandemic?

These seemingly large questions will be embodied in conversations and movement activities that bring our mind-body to the here and now.

Acknowledgments

Thank you Alexia Charoud for being a very talented sound designer and a smooth co-creator.

Thank you Dr. Félix Schoeller for his mentorship, research guidance, and encouragement during the development of the project, and for encouraging me to test different parts of the workshop.

Thank you to Shaghayegh Pashaki for her invaluable help: improving the social sharing activity of the workshop, sharing resources, testing workshops and co-conceiving the social card game.

I thank my mentors from Challenge hub, Anthony, Gabrielle, Romain and our coordinator, Liliana for their continuous support and advice throughout the project.

Framed context

Ecosystem

The "In relation" project is part of Challenge Hub, an initiative by the University of Paris and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CRI) to allow students’ to develop research skills while working on their own impact-oriented project. It was first hosted at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CRI), where Mytam was a M2 student in the Learning Sciences track.

Challenge

This project responds to the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused social isolation, chronic stress, increased anxiety, and depression for some university students.

Relevant studies for French university students are: