Connectedness

School Connectedness
Just as children are being asked to perform at a higher level at school, they are beginning to feel less of a sense of belonging to their schools. Again, this trend is more marked for boys than girls.

Community Connectedness
Children reported consistently higher levels of well-being, against every measure, the greater the number of adults they can identify in their community as knowing or caring about them. The research asked children a range of questions related to connectedness to adults in the community, from knowledge of programs to places to go if you have problems.

We know from research that the more adults with whom children could identify, the better their social and emotional health. The research shows that close to 50% of children (a consistent level across all grades) indicated more than two important adults, whereas almost one-third could not identify any.

A surprising number of children, approximately 32% of Grade 7 students, said that they did not know of organizations in their community that provide programs for them. A further 56% of Grade 7 students said they did not know of organizations which could help them in time of need.

Peer Connectedness
We know that children associate more with peers as they age. We also know as children get older they see friendship differently. Quality of friendship (having a friend who cares, talks to them, and helps with problems) becomes more important than quantity.

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