CogWell's FRIENDS REACH OUT has the mission of teaching college students effective listening skills through interactive workshops. We are also committed to creating a campus-wide network-offering skill building in peer support for the array of stresses students face- from everyday academic and social challenges to more severe crisis situations.

Updates from CogWell's FRIENDS REACH OUT

July, 2022

Hello! My name is Allegra Wertheim and I am a rising sophomore in the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania! I am excited to share the non-profit CogWell’s work with you through Riley’s Way! CogWell is a student-run organization started at the University of Pennsylvania that has developed Friends Reach Out, a program to empower college students to learn active listening skills in order to support their friends facing everyday stressors to more serious situations. The program specifically offers interactive active listening workshops to student groups, academic clubs, sports’ teams, RAs, and in freshman seminars, etc. to increase peer support and normalize conversations surrounding mental health.

We are so grateful that Riley’s Way has recognized the importance of Friends Reach Out and are thankful for their support as we continue to uphold our core values of promoting the power of just listening, helping people be a supportive friend, fostering empathy, and practicing self-care. With the grant, we plan to reach more students at Penn and on more college campuses. We just recently expanded to Immaculata University, SUNY Binghamton, and the University of Alabama in 2021, and we have more schools interested in developing CogWell Chapters. This grant would provide us with the resources needed to expand to them and also support the chapter at Penn.

We look forward to connecting with other organizations through Riley’s Way, learning from one another, and working together to spread kindness and support to youth across the country!

For more information, please visit www.cogwellupenn.com!

Thank you all!