Today on GridgeFridge, we’re thrilled to welcome Nathan Larson and Madison Yurubi to talk about their experience in a UW Community-based Learning course.

Community-based Learning classes, also known as CBL courses, incorporate at least 25 hours of community engagement so students can get real-world experience as part of a for-credit class. Larson, who is a lecturer and senior outreach specialist at the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, leads a CBL course called Mindfulness and Restorative Environments.

In the course, UW students work with elementary school students to learn about what the kids would like to see in a restorative environment at their school. Restorative environments, which are constructed out of natural materials and landscapes, provide a safe place to recover from mental fatigue and stress, and can be used at schools to promote students’ well-being and personal growth.

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we’ll talk about the course with Nathan and Madison, who was a student in the class. We’ll explore their CBL course project, the results of the course’s research and what they took away from the CBL experience.