It is hard to fully engage if you question the degree to which you belong.

What signals to you that you belong?

A school community is made up of many smaller, interwoven communities.  Sometimes these communities are shaped by common interests-- in sports, theatre, areas of study, by age, by language and other shared experiences.  Students are often a part of a multiple communities.  Belonging is the satisfying sense that is built via connection to others and with others. 

How can we work to improve students’ sense of belonging?  What do we need to know?

Such questions arose this year as students worked to find resolution to a situation that highlighted cracks in a sense of belonging.

Working with an initial, small focus group of students grades 9-12, MacNeill students, led by two District facilitators, met for a series of 3 sessions to share, question, challenge, wonder, and ultimately, to begin to offer suggestions -built from personal perspectives- that could be shared with others – staff and students-that would be indented to support movement forward in increasing the security, belonging and well-being for all.

The Focus Groups

A series of 3 sessions with student focus groups with students to gain understanding of their sense of connection, belonging, and personal and cultural identity and what might be done to enhance and support the development of these feelings.

• • Session 1- include some community building and getting to know each other, some learning and engagement activities, and the start of them sharing their positionality.
  • Sessions 2/3-The next sessions would allow us to dig a little deeper into their lived experiences, perspectives and ideas as well as consider how we might share their perspectives more widely and put their ideas into action.