The 30th of July marks International Friendship Day – a day to celebrate our connections with the people in our lives. The day was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly and places emphasis on involving young people as future leaders and promoters of understanding and respect.

It’s also a day to build connections with new people. To make the world a safe place for everyone, we must work hard to develop bonds with the people around us.

This year for International Friendship day, organisations around the world are trying to stop violence in schools. Did you know that nearly 150 million students aged 13 – 15 worldwide have seen violence amongst their peers in school?

To help create a positive environment in and out of school, we have made some suggestions of how the young people in your care can show simple acts of kindness to brighten someone’s day, both on and offline.

#BePositivelySocial

Social Media can give you the power to reach out to a friend and have a positive impact.

Online suggestions:

Leave a nice comment on someone’s social media post
Say Hi to a friend on social media that you haven’t talked to in a while
Check-in with someone if you think they’re not okay by sending them a private message
Tag a friend in a post that will make them smile
Share a positive and inspiring post
Invite a friend to join you in a social online community or group they may like
Don’t exclude someone from your social or gaming group

Once schools are back, you can also have a positive impact offline.

Offline suggestions:

Talk to someone new at lunch
Ask those who are alone to join you and your friends
Don’t exclude someone from your group of friends
Help a friend or family member with a task they are struggling with
Arrange to meet a friend or family member you haven’t seen in a while (at a safe social distance!)
Give someone a compliment

Although these seem small, an act of kindness could really make a person feel good. So this international friendship day, encourage the young people in your care to find a way to make someone else’s day.

Use these videos to inspire your followers to #BePositivelySocial

Encourage young people to leave comments to promote body positivity on social media.

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Sending messages to friends we miss can be better than just checking their social profiles, which can lead to missed connections and feelings of loneliness.

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Creative Activity Pack

As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from screens and get creative.

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