ENGAGE THE WHOLE SCHOOL TO END LONELINESS.

Loneliness is an issue at every school. Which is why we created the School to Belong programme and certificate. Commitment to the programme shows that your school hasn’t swept the problem under the rug, but actively works to reduce loneliness – so that no one feels left out. The time to act is now.

THE TIME OF LONELINESS IS OVER

Loneliness among children and young people is a serious and growing problem. One in four girls and one in ten boys in their early teens often feels lonely. Loneliness is not a state of mind you choose nor enjoy, unlike the times when you choose to be alone. Long-term loneliness can weaken the mental and physical health of young people, negatively impact their learning ability, and increase the risk of violent behaviour. We cannot afford to leave a single child or youth unsupported.

The School to Belong Programme helps a school community identify and alleviate the loneliness experienced by some young people and offers tools to counteract it. The programme makes the reduction of loneliness a common endeavour for the whole school. It is something the school community works for together.

The programme uses methods that international studies have shown to be most effective: impactful early intervention, skill training, changing the atmosphere of attitudes, and by realigning distorted thought patterns that contribute to loneliness.

For more information, please contact:

Silva Saulio (on parental leave until 2025)
School to Belong programme manager
silva.saulio@helsinkimissio.fi 09 2312 0317, 043 201 3192

Mikko Lievonen
School to Belong programme manager
mikko.lievonen@helsinkimissio.fi 043 201 3145

A MISSION FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL

Schools committed to the programme are validated with the School to Belong certificate. This confirms that all staff members and students recognise that loneliness is a problem which they are working to alleviate – so no one need feel alone. In such a school, it is good to be a young person.

The programme is realised in cooperation with the Finnish National Agency for Education, University of Turku’s Department of Teacher Education, the Regional State Administrative Agency  and the professor and loneliness researcher Niina Junttila.

The programme is intended as a long-term model for all schools and education institutions in Finland. It is realised nationally through online training and e-materials. At present, the programme, implemented in Finnish and Swedish, is directed at middle schools and secondary education institutions. For schools, participation is free of charge.

How your school can join the programme:

1. Enrolment is possible from January through March.
2. The school takes a Loneliness Survey.
3. Survey results are made public, and a loneliness strategy is planned for the school.
4. The school is offered appropriate tools to implement the loneliness strategy.
5. Schools committed to the programme are certified annually.

Supporting the programme

Eva Ahlströms foundation, family company Berner Oy, August Ludvig Hartwalls foundation, family company Veikko Laine Oy and Posti Oy.

Tip us off about a school

Would you like to give HelsinkiMissio a tip-off about a school you wish would join our School to Belong programme to reduce loneliness in the school? Leave us contact details for the school and we’ll get in touch with them. Schools can enrol in January for the forthcoming school year.