By R.J. Sullivan Hello. It's a simple phrase, one that you probably say at least once a day, perhaps to a friend, coworker, or teacher, and yet it’s becoming something you hear less and less. Think I’m being dramatic? Think about the last time you said hello to a total stranger or the last time you had a conversation with someone you didn’t know, you’re probably reaching a stark realization. You can’t remember the last time you interacted with a stranger voluntarily.
So, is this a problem? In a way, yes. The issue is best summarized in a scientific report on NCBI (US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health) “Intimacy and belonging are intrinsic human needs”. Now you’re probably asking why you should care about this issue, after all you already have at least one or two good friends. But what about people who don’t have many or any friends? Starting to see what I’m getting at? Even if you are the most popular kid in school there are those who want to simply be acknowledged. So if you take the couple seconds it takes to stop and say hello, ask them how they’re doing, you may just make their day or their whole week just because you stopped and said hello. One high school decided to do just that with the “Start with Hello” national program to fight chronic social isolation. According to reports, in this program “throughout the week students will participate in different tasks and activities to reach out to classmates”. One such activity is for each student to say hello to three students they didn’t know. That’s not all they did, they also had a “no one eats alone” day and “wear your favorite shirt” day. If you would like to learn more about Start with Hello or see if you can help bring it to your school then please check out their website at www.sandyhookpromise.org. Social isolation isn’t a uniquely Alaskan or American issue, it’s worldwide. For example, in Great Britain the government has started the “ Safe and Connected Initiative” which has employees of the private company, Royal Mail give a quick survey when they deliver the mail. Then a representative will review the answers to see if the person is lonely, if so, efforts will be made to connect that person to organizations that encourage social encounters such as The Cares Family. Imagine the difference this program could make not just for people in America, but in Alaska, which has the highest suicide rate in the country. It could be quite literally the difference between life and death. Finally, I wish to end this article with something for those who do feel alone or socially isolated. We are very fortunate to have a variety of resources to help students reach out and make new friends and social connections. Sources of Strength is a group of students whose goal is to bring people together to help people suffering from depression and help them make new friends. Next we have of course the Counselors Office, the counselors there are not just for helping you get your school schedule in order, they also are there if you need to talk to someone or need help. Finally, we have all the different clubs throughout the school. There's probably a club for everyone somewhere in school such as Pokemon club, International club, and Model U.N., as well as many others.
3 Comments
|
EditorWolfpack Editorial Board Categories
All
Archives
October 2020
|