Posted on 13 March 2026 by Chris Brown.
Ask the participants at any given Reconnecting to Play night what they like most about the program and the answers are usually the same.
"It’s really community-oriented," says Alexa Wallis.
"We’re not dismissed. We have such an environment here that is super kind and super fun to be in," says Theresa Perrault.
That's precisely what MHPL social worker Krystal Eirich when she created the program for a mental health class during her social work education at Medicine Hat College. She saw a need in the community for a substance-free alternative for adults to make new friends, engage in social connection, and get reconnected with their community.
She developed the program for the library alongside MHPL's former adult community librarian Miranda Leduc, about two years ago. From humble beginnings and small numbers then, the adult Reconnecting to Play program has grown to double the monthly sessions and a waitlist for nearly each one. Nerf Night is the most popular of the Reconnecting to Play nights, and other themes include Giant Human Games, Giant Parachute, and Fort Building.
"It continues to be everything I hoped for and I just hope it keeps growing within social circles and more and more adults realize that there’s benefits to coming out and taking care of our bodies and our mental health in a new way," says Eirich.
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