Combat loneliness. Cultivate belonging.
Belonging: Reconnecting America’s Loneliest Generation
Combat Loneliness. Cultivate Belonging.
Combat Loneliness.
Cultivate Belonging.
Belonging: Reconnecting America’s Loneliest Generation
Young people today are experiencing epidemic levels of loneliness.
Our data in Belonging: Reconnecting America’s Loneliest Generation indicate that one in three of our young people feel completely alone much of the time. Nearly 40% have no one to talk to and feel left out, and 45% feel as if no one understands them.
Our data show correlations among student belonging, thriving, and academic success. To track these metrics year after year we developed The Belonging Index. A powerful, field-tested tool that measures how much students feel noticed, named, and known.
Belonging is also available on Apple Books and Amazon.
Young people need more trusted adult relationships in their lives.
Connecting young people to even just one additional trusted adult can reduce their feelings of loneliness, isolation, and stress. But the benefits of connecting young people to five or more trusted adults is a game-changing prospect—and ought to be our goal.
The Belongingness Process
Young people’s experiences of belongingness are shaped by trusted adults, and belongingness deepens through an identifiable process we call the Belongingness Process.
When Springtide analyzed interview data for our Belonging report, we observed a clear pattern in young people’s stories as they moved from joining a group to experiencing true belonging within it.
Three distinct experiences appeared again and again: feeling noticed, feeling named, and feeling known. These build on one another to deepen belonging.
