Space-Makers statewide
Lots of things in life are unavoidable. For many people, conflict is one of them. But the Utah State University space-makers are here to ensure students don’t have to navigate it alone.
The term space-maker is used to define a group of people who have been trained to navigate conflict and facilitate meaningful conversations. The program, created by senior lecturer Clair Canfield, aims to change the perception of conflict and empower students to use conflict to uncover their personal values.
“It’s a driving force for creating the change we want within ourselves in our relationships and communities,” Canfield said. “Conflict is an opportunity to see what is most important to us and to work towards the changes we want.”
Now, after significant success on the Logan campus, the program is expanding. Virtual space-making appointments are now accessible statewide to all USU students. Canfield is excited about the recent expansion of the program.
“As we’ve been offering these appointments and seeing the impact they’re having on students, we very much wanted to offer them not just here at Logan but to students across the state,” Canfield said. “We were very excited by the opportunity to expand to them through working with Statewide Leadership.”
Space-makers do not offer advice; rather, they try to pose questions that prompt introspection. All space-makers are required to take specific classes to become certified. Kylie Rice, a space-maker and student at USU, described how she aids students.
“A lot of it is about active listening, how to ask questions, how to ask follow-up questions, how to pay attention to what somebody’s saying,” Rice said. “Not only that, but paying attention to their body language and how to react to that in order to create a space where they feel safe enough to express what’s going on in their life.”
Rice said the process isn’t always perfect, but the tools she has learned work.
“We love it for a reason and because it’s worked for us,” Rice said. “It creates a way for us to connect with ourselves and connect with our needs, connect with our values, and connect with others.”
Space-making differs from talk therapy because space-makers do not diagnose mental illness, nor do they make recommendations or treatment plans. Canfield said therapy is primarily focused on healing, and though conversations with space-makers can often feel healing, it is not their sole purpose.
“So we differ from therapy in some really important ways. We give people a space where they can be seen and witnessed and make choices for themselves. I think that does, at times, feel really healing and helpful for people.”
Appointments are exclusively virtual. Students on any campus wishing to make an appointment can visit the space-makers website.