Place & Belonging

Place and belonging is the level of connection to others and to place that an individual holds.

Belonging is a crucial piece of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Without belonging, it is difficult for an individual to learn. 

In Building a Culture of Hope, the Seed of Belonging is described in Chapter 5. 

Belonging is the way to combat Learned Helplessness and Hopelessness.

Belonging is the antidote to learned helplessness.

Belonging mitigates an external locus of control, and gives individuals power. 

Observations in high-performing, high-poverty schools reveal six basic strategies for increasing Belonging and a sense of Place for students and staff:

1. Build relationships among students and between students and adults.

2. Create a surrogate family at school.

3. Develop students' interests and talents to further connections with similar others.

4. Explore careers and the world of work.

5. Use social networking to enhance belonging.

6. Address bullying and social dis-ease.

Resources from Building a Culture of Hope are listed below as PDFs. 

Discussion Topics for book study. 

Staff/Team Questionnaire sample.

Student Questionnaire sample.