Sept. 17: Recovery Month activities
Collegiate Recovery Community, SOS offer yoga class, luminary lighting on Green
11:10 a.m., Sept. 15, 2015--Across college campuses, including at the University of Delaware, there has been an increased demand for communal support for those students recovering from substance abuse and associated disorders.
In the spring of 2014, several UD students and a Student Wellness and Health Promotion counselor, Jessica Estok, began talks about forming a collegiate recovery community on UD’s campus.
Events Stories
June 5: Blue Hen 5K
June 6-9: Food and culture series
Estok said the need was apparent for a place where recovering students and those who support the recovery process could join in fellowship and discuss important changes on campus that needed to take place.
From this idea, UD’s official Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) was born. The CRC currently has eight active members who meet every Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m. at the Student Wellness and Health Promotion offices, 231 S. College Ave.
National Recovery Month activities
With September designated as National Recovery Month, CRC at the University has announced that its kickoff event this year will be held at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17. The CRC and SOS (Sexual Offense Support) will host a recovery-inspired yoga class on The Green north of Memorial Hall. Healthy refreshments will be provided.
The class will be led by an instructor working with the Transformation Yoga Project (TYP). The slogan for TYP is to “heal through empowerment,” and its mission is to provide people in all types of recovery, ranging from substance abuse to sexual assault to eating disorders, a means for personal growth and empowerment through yoga.
Immediately following recovery yoga on The Green, a luminary night will be held in order to honor all of those people who have been lost or who are still struggling with any form of addiction. Loved ones’ names will be written on white paper bags and then candles will be placed inside them. The lanterns will line the North Green in an attempt to shine a light on the disease of addiction.
The event is free and open to public. The only thing that participants need to bring is a yoga mat or towel to use during the TYP class. Participants are encouraged to dress in comfortable, appropriate clothing for yoga.
Estok said the event should prove to be a powerful, healing and informative experience for everyone in attendance. “Nationwide, one out of three households is affected in some way by the disease of addiction. This correlates to about 85 million Americans living today,” she said. “So whether you can personally identify as being in recovery or not, most of us can say that someone we love or care about suffers with this issue. The yoga and luminary event on Sept. 17 will be a powerful symbol of remembrance, growth and promise for the future.”
After this week’s kickoff event, recovery yoga will take place at 7 p.m. every Thursday evening beginning Sept. 24 in Room 160 of the Carpenter Sports Building until Dec. 10. It is free and open to all University of Delaware students. Participants will not be asked to disclose any personal information to attend. For more information, contact Student Wellness and Health Promotion at 302-831-3457 or studentwellness@udel.edu.
For more information on the Collegiate Recovery Community, contact Estok at jestok@udel.edu or 302-831-3457.
For more information on SOS (Sexual Offense Support), contact Angela Seguin at aseguin@udel.edu or 302-831-3457.