Social Work Assistant Professor Jane Hereth‘s project, EMBODY: A Community‑Engaged, Movement‑Based Intervention to Support LGBTQIA+ Young Adults, received 2026-2027 funding from UW-Milwaukee’s Discovery and Innovation (DIG) grant. The co-investigator is Mair Culbreth, who is associate professor of dance in the Peck School of the Arts.
The award will support the development and pilot testing of a movement-based workshop designed to promote the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQIA+ young adults. This interdisciplinary collaboration between social work and dance uses a community-based participatory research approach, partnering with a Community Collaborative Board of LGBTQIA+ young adults to co-create an accessible, one-hour workshop centered on movement, creative expression, and community building.
Through accessible movement practices, the workshop aims to foster embodied awareness, identity euphoria, and interpersonal connection. The project will generate preliminary data on the feasibility and acceptability of movement-based approaches to promoting mental health and wellbeing among LGBTQIA+ young adults.