Chat the Weird Out is one of New Zealand’s first tertiary education-based healthy relationship campaigns. Created by students and led by University of Auckland staff from Campus Life, it encourages students nationwide to engage in those awkward conversations that are essential for establishing boundaries in various relationships. It aims to empower individuals to resolve conflicts arising from miscommunication, catering to a youth demographic that has expressed discomfort with conflict and tends to prioritise other feelings over their own, due to Aotearoa’s people-pleasing culture.
With studies (Dungan & Epley, 2024; Kardas et al., 2023) showing most constructive confrontations often being anticipated to be much worse than they end up being, the goal for Chat the Weird Out was to provide our students tools to have those awkward, but very much needed, conversations. Ultimately, Chat the Weird Out is about demonstrating love for ourselves and others by learning to set clear boundaries, thereby improving relationships in ways we all deserve.
Should you have any questions, or would like to get in touch with the team behind the campaign please reach out to chattheweirdout@auckland.ac.nz