Friendship Circle

Disability Awareness Spreads To A Local High School

Since our introduction to the world of social media via the Chase Community Giving Campaign, we have been paving the path of using “social media for social good.” We have come to understand the importance of leveraging and building an online community through highly interactive, cost-free campaigns as an ultimate means of strengthening our branding and messaging. Perhaps the most critical and influential aspect of social media campaigns is our ability to “hand over” the reigns of The Friendship Circle mission to you, the user. Our goal is to provide you with a fun, interactive means of self-expression; a creative, meaningful way to show the world your beliefs and priorities. I was elated the other day when a group of sophomores and juniors from Andover High School approached me, in a very mature fashion, to discuss a club they were founding at their high school. Their “Friendship Club” embodies the spirit of the Friendship Circle message by promoting advocacy and non-judgment throughout their high school. These teens came to me for activity ideas to incorporate into their club meetings alongside a curriculum of their own, unique ideas. One of their really impressive ideas was a sports tournament for their classmates. In this tournament, each player would be given a disability (tie back one arm, headphones to limit hearing, etc.). It would be up to each player to learn how to work with not only their teammates, but also their obvious disabilities. In our opinion, this example is our greatest measure of success. These teens became deeply empowered from their experiences at Friendship Circle.  It was their passion for social change that led them to truly “own” the mission of Friendship Circle and run with it in their own unique way.