As the sun sets over the weekly Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market, the streets are filled with crowds, food and entertainment. But just around the corner, tucked away inside the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, one room offers something different — stillness.
Designed by Cal Poly students from the Experience Industry Management Department, the Pop-Up Resilience Room is a relaxing, dimly lit environment designed to help attendees find peace within the bustling farmers’ market. Open the past four farmers’ markets as a trial period, the resilience room will be open for its final day this evening.
The project serves a dual purpose: to conduct research, but also to benefit the needs of neurodivergent individuals in an overwhelming environment. Students, advisors and professors are studying how neuro-inclusive environments can improve comfort and accessibility in crowded settings that can be overstimulating.
“We also really hope that families who wouldn’t come to the farmers’ market can now come, because there’s a place for any members of their family who are neurodiverse or get easily overwhelmed,” said Keri Schwab, project advisor and an experience industry management professor.
The research initiative has been in the developmental stages for the past few quarters, starting with the idea from experience industry management professor Amber Karson.
Alongside Karson, students from varying years and skills joined together to work on this project. Experience industry management freshman Daniella Fernandez-Ortiz, shared how the team of students used their work in their studies towards this goal.
“We want good experiences that are memorable, and in those classes we learn that,” Fernandez-Ortiz said, “It’s up to us to create the elements of these events that make it accessible and safe for everybody.”
With support from the San Luis Obispo Diversity, Equity and Inclusion High Impact Grant — and in collaboration with the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market, the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the City of San Luis Obispo — the team brought the space to life.
“Our hope for our research is that we are able to give people a space and find that resilience rooms at farmers’ markets do create a place of resilience for people,” said Makena Ray, head researcher student and a recreation, parks and tourism administration sophomore.
Visitors are immediately met inside the room with calming music, a quiet and softly lit room, and a table of resources including coloring books, stress balls and stuffed animals.
Environmental earth and soil sciences sophomore Megan Ellis first heard about the space through friends — though she didn’t expect how thankful she’d be for the support it offered.
“I did not even realize how frazzled I was before I came in here,” Ellis said, “But now that I am super relaxed and calm, I don’t know how I am going to go back out there.”
While their time at the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market coming to a close this week, the department and students involved have been collectively working to find somewhere similar to introduce their Pop-Up Resilience Room.
Seth Pintar contributed to the reporting of this story.