14 Aug Cheering on Youth

Cheering on Youth

Youth can uplift and support one another during the back-to-school transition by actively practicing empathy, inclusion, and open communication. Returning to the classroom can bring excitement and new opportunities, but it can also come with stress, uncertainty, and social pressure. For some students, a new school year means navigating unfamiliar classes, changing friendships, new expectations, or simply trying to figure out where they fit in.

That’s why encouragement from peers can make such a meaningful difference.

Simple actions—checking in on a friend, inviting someone sitting alone to join the lunch table, welcoming a new student, sharing notes, or creating a study group—can help build a stronger sense of community. These moments may seem small, but to a young person who is feeling overwhelmed or left out, they can mean a great deal.

Be the Person Who Notices

Supporting others doesn’t require having all the answers. Sometimes it starts with noticing when someone seems quieter than usual, is having a difficult day, or could use a little encouragement.

A simple “How are you doing?” can open the door to connection. Listening without judgment, taking someone’s feelings seriously, and reminding them that they don’t have to handle everything alone can help classmates feel seen and valued.

Young people can also lead by example. Choosing kindness over gossip, including others instead of excluding them, celebrating someone else’s success, and speaking up when a peer is being treated unfairly all contribute to a healthier school environment.

Encourage, Include, and Connect

There are plenty of everyday ways students can cheer one another on:

• Invite someone in. Make room at the table, in the group project, or in the conversation.
• Celebrate progress. Acknowledge a friend’s hard work, improvement, creativity, or courage—not just the final grade or outcome.
• Listen well. Sometimes a friend needs support more than advice.
• Offer help. Study together, share a resource, or help a classmate get connected with a teacher, counselor, coach, or other trusted adult.
• Use your influence positively. What students say in hallways, group chats, teams, clubs, and online spaces helps shape the culture around them.
• Check back in. Support can be as simple as remembering that someone was having a hard week and asking how they’re doing a few days later.

Stronger Together

Peer support can be especially powerful because young people understand many of the pressures their classmates are experiencing firsthand. Whether serving as a peer mentor or simply being a dependable friend, students have opportunities every day to help create spaces where others feel safe, respected, and connected.

And when a problem feels too big for a friend to handle alone, being supportive can also mean encouraging them to reach out to a trusted adult. Asking for help is another way of looking out for one another.

As students head back to school, we can encourage them to remember that building a positive school community isn’t only the job of teachers, counselors, or administrators. Every student has the ability to influence how it feels to walk through those school doors.

A welcoming smile. An invitation to sit together. A sincere compliment. A quick check-in. A willingness to listen.

Small acts add up—and when young people make a habit of cheering one another on, they help create a school community where everyone has a better opportunity to belong, grow, and thrive.