Safety Assembly Safety Assembly Module 1: Creating Welcoming Environments Show Transcript welcome students today you will learn about start with hello during the presentation you will be given important information strategies to help you and who to go to for help let's get started let's begin the year with clear Behavior expectations and a plan to create social inclusive School communities today we are going to talk about 3 things first our schoolwide expectation what they are and why we have them second we will watch a video titled start with hello that will provide us with information on how to create social inclusive communities and finally we will discuss using thematic days to continue to build community and connection at our school let's pause here to review and discuss our schoolwide expectations and why they are important we are now going to watch a video about starting with hello to create a more socially inclusive community remember to listen for the 3 steps be someone alone reach out and help and start with hello why you watch the video think about what you can do at your school hi my name is Sarah and I'm a trainer with Sandy Hook promise hello I'm Andre and I'm also a trainer with Sandy Hook promise we're here today to talk to you about what you can do to help prevent violence in your school and build an inclusive community loneliness social isolation and not feeling like you belong can have a negative impact on people and at times lead to people hurting themselves or others here's a short video of students sharing how they feel when they're lonely socially isolated and invisible start with hello is a violence mention program that teaches you how to minimize social isolation empathize with others and create a more inclusive and connected school and Community today you will learn the meaning of empathy the impact of loneliness and social ation on yourself and others how to apply the 3 start with hello steps and strategies to use your empathy to help build a and inclusive community empathy plays a big role in the 3 start with a low steps these steps will help you create a more socially inclusive and welcoming Community the 3 steps are Step 1 see someone alone which means recognizing when someone may be lonely or socially isolated Step 2 is to reach out and help and step 3 is start with hello what is empathy empathy is understanding and caring about another person's feelings have you ever felt sad with a friend just because they're sad imagine a friend of yours is upset because they studied very hard for a math test but they failed it and you feel sad for them because you know or can imagine what it feels like to be in that same situation that's empathy you could say something more like I know you're really sad right now because you worked really hard and didn't get the results you were hoping for I understand because I've worked hard and been disappointed too you can also show empathy if someone is feeling excluded or discriminated against for instance someone might be excluded because of their race or ethnicity empathy is like putting yourself in the shoes of someone else and imagining what they might be going through when we see someone alone or lonely we can try to to imagine how they may feel and show them that we care by reaching out the first step is to see someone alone or since that someone is Alone by what they're saying you might see a classmate sitting alone at lunch or notice a classmate is feeling alone because it's their first day at school and they don't know anyone yet if we truly seek to understand each other we can then start to build a culture of kindness that will help lead to socially inclusive School communities and there are different ways you might see someone alone we might see someone who is lonely we might see someone who's isolated and we might see someone who's enjoying some healthy alone time we're going to break each 1 of these down understanding the differences between each of these is an important part of creating an inclusive community loneliness is a feeling that happens when our social needs are not being met and because loneliness is a feeling being physically alone isn't always necessary to experience loneliness some people can feel lonely while being with people in class during lunch at work or even at home there are many different reasons someone may feel lonely for instance it could be because someone's not finding people who share the same interest because it's hard for them to talk to other people because they're being bullied or because someone spending so much time on social media that they're not actually connecting in person with other people what is social isolation social isolation is a physical state it's when someone does not have those frequent social interactions with their peers for example a student may eat lunch alone or spend their time after school alone and they may even spend their weekends alone a student may be socially isolated because they're not connecting with anyone at school for instance their classmates might see them as different and discourage them from sitting with them at lunch or hanging out after school I know some of you may be thinking sometimes want to be alone and that's totally okay being alone doesn't always mean someone is lonely or socially isolated sometimes we choose to be alone because it helps us relax or recharge our batteries to be more creative more productive or sometimes we just need to be away from other people this is healthy alone time healthy alone time is when you choose to spend time alone because it helps you feel better some examples of healthy alone time include reading a book streaming a movie playing a video game or listening to music personally when I have a loan time I like to go for a walk watch TV or read a great book it's important to recognize that loneliness is a common human experience and acknowledging it allows us to seek support Foster connections and prioritize our mental and emotional well-being now that we know what loneliness and social isolation are and the negative impacts of loneliness and social isolation let's talk about Step 2 reach out and help as part of this step we're going to look at some examples of loneliness and social isolation you might see at school as you watch think about how you might show empathy in a similar situation hey have you ever seen Jack sitting with anyone at lunch I don't know I never dm with anyone maybe he likes being alone Maybe he's new I wonder if he knows anyone oh no May dropped all her book that's so embarrassing I did that yesterday I have to get to class I feel so bad for her I know it can be embarrassing when this happens No 1 is like my photo should I delete it where's Desmond they're usually on that bench waiting for us I haven't seen Desmond for a few days J have you nope hmm I hope they're okay reaching out and helping Ken be difficult here are some reasons why people don't reach out and help they may lack the confidence to connect with someone or sometimes there are unspoken social rules that tell you it's not okay to help someone these unspoken social rules are invisible boundaries that might make you feel unsure about reaching out to help someone you don't typically socialize with also our personal identity is at stake sometimes we worry about how it might make us look or how it might affect our social status or popularity if we reach out and help we could have had a negative experience in the past for example if you tried to help someone and they didn't want your help or Prejudice could play a role Prejudice means to prejudge something or someone for example if you've prejudged someone based on how they dress how they look or the friends they have you may just be unsure how to communicate and then decide not to reach out and help the third step is start with a low as part of this step we're going to talk about some strategies you can use to overcome some of those barriers we just talked about starting with hello doesn't always have to be a literal verbal hello it can be any act of kindness that shows someone you care here's some small actions you can take to be welcoming so if you're and shy or awkward about reaching out these are some simple ideas to help you become more comfortable smile or wave it's an easy way to let someone know that you noticed them you can like a post on their social media it's a way to acknowledge someone else's thoughts and show them that they're seen and heard welcome someone new welcoming someone new to your community is impactful you're being inclusive and creating a safer space or you can simply acknowledge how someone likes to be addressed for instance by nickname or by their pronouns if you're feeling comfortable doing something more here are some big ways you could practice empathy and start with hello give a compliment like I think it's pretty dope that you help people all the time time introduce yourself and start a conversation ask a question to learn about someone for instance what do you like to do after school or even just help someone a small act of kindness like helping a classmate who dropped their books can make that person's day you feel comfortable taking a Giant action here are some ways to get to know the person even better invite someone to hang out with you and your friends or share something for you could share a lunch with your friend or you can share what you did over the weekend you could also ask for someone's help for instance you might ask a classmate for some help with your homework or you could even organize an event that celebrates diversity in School you could also join a club and work with the team to create your own strategies and building inclusive and welcoming community remember those examples we saw now we're going to see those same examples with their classmates using start with hello strategies which strategies do you think they're using to show empathy he's new I wonder if he knows anyone you're Jacks right yep hello I'm Matthew my pronouns are they them this is Olivia hey Jax it's nice to meet you we're going to the high school football game this Friday do you want to join sure I feel so bad for her I know it can be embarrassing when this happens thank you I can't believe I did that nah don't worry it happens to everyone I was worried I'd be late to class now for sure be late oh are you taking biology yeah and I have mascara I'm thinking of taking it next year is it hard it's a really tough class but she's a great teacher which helps good to know thanks for helping with my books No 1 is like my photo I delete it whoa I can't believe no 1 has liked this photo of Alonso whoa someone liked my photo today where's Desmond hm I hope they're okay I'm going to text Desmond and see if they're okay if they don't respond by the end of this game I'll walk over to their house with you me too now that you've learned ways you can start with hello I'd like you to think of everyday examples where you can use use these start with hello strategies here's our friends we saw at the start of the presentation telling us when they felt lonely or invisible now they're going to tell us how they feel when someone reaches out and helps them that was an informative video again let's remind ourselves of the 3 steps 1 see someone alone 2 reach out and help and 3 start with hello think about how you will use these 3 steps another way we can build community and connections with each other is through daily activities that help us get to know each other the Thematic days are mindful Monday mindfulness is the ability to be fully present in the moment gravity Tuesday gratitude is about focusing on what's good in our lives and being thankful for the things we have Wellness Wednesday an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life thoughtful Thursday thoughtfulness is about caring for others and fun Friday this is the opportunity to laugh and have fun while learning pause here so we can practice Maya Angelou said it well people will forget what you said people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel thank you for participating today remember you make a difference Print
