Life during COVID, an ever-changing educational climate, and a divisive election season has been difficult enough for the students at your school.

Student leaders have worked tirelessly to help campus populations feel included, loved, and valued, despite the events going on in the world. But events like yesterday can leave anyone feeling paralyzed and heartbroken.

We don’t claim to have all the answers, but we want to make sure we’re helping as best as we’re able. You will find a short list of simple activities below that your leaders can implement NOW to promote compassion and unity on your campus.

They aren’t overly complex or elaborate, but as we’ve learned over the years, the best activities are often the simplest.

Direct Kindness

First, have each of your leaders generate a list of students to reach out to during these difficult times. Next, work with your leaders, to craft kind, compassionate messages for each student. These messages can then be sent via direct message on Instagram.

“We Are”

While the world can seem incredibly negative right now, we can still show students that our schools are safe, inclusive, and positive places.

With the help of your leaders, compile a set of words and/or messages you want your campus population to proudly embody. Using Canva, Adobe Spark, or Adobe Illustrator, use these phrases to create campus-specific posts that you can share on social media.

Finally, encourage students to share their own encouraging words and phrases via entry forms on Instagram Stories. These can be shared throughout next week and beyond.

Compassion Champions

Challenge your leaders to name 5-10 students at your school who embody kindness, inclusion, and empathy. Create posts highlighting their efforts to create a positive campus culture.

Speed Edits

Brainstorm simple messages with your leaders or staff to share with students. Messages can include (but are by no means limited to):

“We care about you.”
“You’re appreciated here.”
“Your kindness matters.”

Have each of your leaders or staff members quickly film a selfie of themselves saying any given message. Finally, compile and quickly edit these together into a 30-second video to share via social media.

Community Care

Self care is especially needed during time of stress and trauma. Use your school’s social media platform to share self-care and calming strategies students can immediately practice. You can also repost pictures/videos of students engaging in self-care activities to encourage others to do the same.

Self-care practices can include:

Spend 5 Minutes With Your Pet
Go On a Short Walk
Breathe Deeply for 60 Seconds
Practice Simple Grounding Techniques
Play a Relaxing Playlist
Brush Your Hair
Text Someone a Kind Message