Beginning this week, University of Connecticut students can sign up for a program that offers points and rewards in exchange for attending campus-wide events, according to UConn’s UKindness webpage.
The program, called Jonathan’s Challenge, runs until Thanksgiving break. It consists of over 30 events, both virtual and in-person. The events relate primarily to leadership, critical world conversations, games, activities and service.
The challenge was introduced last year to encourage community engagement and connection among students, according to Kristen Carr, the interim associate director of leadership & organizational development at Student Activities.
“We brought back Jonathan’s Challenge as a way to continue building our UConn community, and to encourage students to participate in programs and activities they may not have taken notice of before,” Carr said.
Each event is worth one point and prizes are awarded based on the total number of points students have. Among the prizes are t-shirts, magnets, pins, beanies, laptop stickers and gift cards.
“As students progress [through the challenge], they earn bigger prizes,” Carr said.
To earn points for events, students should first make sure they are registered for Jonathan’s Challenge through the website. Students may register at any time throughout the 10 weeks of the challenge.
When students attend an event, the event’s host will record attendance through UConntact. Students might also be asked to scan QR codes, visit virtual links, or enter their email address as a way of redeeming their points.
All students automatically earn one point when they sign up for the challenge. The website’s leaderboard, which is updated twice a week, displays each participant’s name and score.