Responding to COVID-19: A MAPP Collaboration to Serve

As published in the MAPP Alumni magazine, which connects the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology program community.

Coronavirus has reshaped our world and daily existence, as almost all of us now live under some form of quarantine. Resilience has taken on a new meaning. As MAPPsters, we share a common bond and desire to want to spread good in the world, more so now than ever. 

A group of almost twenty MAPP graduates involved in Eudaimonic by Design, a global consultancy that builds thriving organizations, brainstormed ideas of how we could pool our talents, rely on our strengths, and find a way to serve during this COVID-19 crisis. What emerged was a collaboration to create and distribute “Resilience Resources,” which are grounded in the science of positive psychology. These free resources offer evidence-based practical tips to support individuals and organizations as we all adjust to this new reality. 

We started by clearly defining our purpose, which was to help others during this difficult time, to help the MAPP community as a whole, and yes, to help ourselves. Like many others in our MAPP community, we’ve found that service to others is a great coping strategy. Working on these resources focused our energy on something productive and forced us to take a break from the news, a mindful attempt to practice what we know works. Although we all know the importance of meaning and purpose, it’s been especially fulfilling to experience these values together.

Our world is changing rapidly and most organizations and the individuals in them are shifting to virtual workspaces. Therefore, we decided to focus our first iteration of tools on techniques to ease this transition. Using an inclusive and collaborative process, we sought input from the group to build consensus on what topics should be covered. Next, individuals signed up to work on topics that interested them. 

THE COLLABORATIVE PROCESS

Our collaborative process was designed to take advantage of our training in positive psychology. It’s been exciting to work on these important tools remotely, creating new connections with MAPPsters and promoting the virtual relationships we advocate in our materials. 

PERMA, an acronym for assessing well-being by examining people’s levels of positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment, provided a useful framework for those of us collaborating on these tools. We increased our positive emotions by relying on and using our strengths; we stayed engaged instead of allowing stress and anxiety to overwhelm; we built relationships with alumni we didn’t know; we focused on serving others to build meaning and purpose; and we experienced accomplishment by creating useful tools that anyone anywhere can access. Our collective response to the crisis buffered us against the daunting challenges of COVID-19.

Through this process, we connected with new friends and old, recognized new strengths in ourselves and others, and generated true meaning and purpose together. While the global crisis unfolds, our collaboration is a powerful reminder of the unique framework that exists in our MAPP community, which encourages us to embrace continuous growth to not just survive, but to thrive during uncertainty and to trust in our community as a source of well-being.