What is a Connection group? Who is involved? How do we get students involved? These are all questions that were swirling around in our head last year as we anticipated starting Connection groups for some high school students. We wanted to help build friendships for those who were struggling with social skills.

After receiving parental permission, we sought out students who would be willing to come alongside a student in a peer group.

To build a Connection group, you need students who are willing to participate a couple of times a month in interacting with other individuals from their class. It is key to find students who are outgoing and interactive, have great social skills, and most importantly, are willing to make friends. When building different groups, it is also important to think about how many students you want per group. We found a great number about six students, to not overwhelm the student in need but yet enough to keep conversation and activities going.

Now is the time to advertise. Connection meetings are fun, safe, and eventful, and provide learning opportunities. Make sure to express these benefits when presenting the idea to the students. Be strategic about choosing the time you meet to not take away from a different activity or event they may want to get involved in. Lunch times are great as long as they don’t overlap with student activities.

Once you have built groups suitable for students, create a schedule so everyone is on the same page with the times you are meeting. Send out lots of reminders as high school students already have a lot on their plate. Be grateful and show appreciation to those who have signed up.

The first meeting is always a ton of fun! Play some introductory games, get to know each other, and share funny stories. Ask the students what they would like to get out of these meetings. Explain to them what meetings will look like and always take feedback.

Every meeting after that varies based on the student’s needs. For example, one of our groups was geared toward someone with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). After a couple of meetings, I realized the other students in the group may not fully understand ASD.

With permission and help from the student, we had a meeting where we discussed what ASD is, some struggles the student has, and ways the other students can be supportive. We also talked about how this student loves to create things and look through books in the library, and how they have a great memory.

We then discussed how the student struggled to find something to do during lunch break. After brainstorming, the boys in this group agreed to purposefully involve the student three days a week in whatever activity they were doing, as well as choosing activities this student enjoyed.

Another group was a bunch of very active boys. To get them to participate, we had to come up with creative and active ideas. At our meetings, we played Minute-to-Win-It and board games, had indoor snowball fights with soft balls, and held potlucks, just to name a few.

Along with each fun meeting, we always tried to incorporate a lesson. If there was an incident that happened at school, or if we knew of an ongoing struggle for students, the meetings were the perfect way to indirectly or directly discuss these issues. We would also use this time to come up with an action plan.

After one year of incorporating Connection groups into our high school, we still have much to learn. However, we have also received some great feedback! Parents have commented about how they felt Connections was a great thing for their child. Also, there was a noticeable difference in the involvement of students outside the Connection groups. During the noon hour, students did not wander the halls as frequently, and staff heard stories of how students worked together as a group for a class project. For some students these are big accomplishments; these stories are very rewarding to hear! Students of all abilities enjoyed their participation in the groups:

We are looking forward to launching Connection groups again this year at our high school!