Lesson 4: No One Acts Alone No One Eats Alone™ Presented by Beyond Differences Lesson 4: No One Acts Alone

Objectives Students will understand the physical and mental effects of social isolation. Students will understand how social isolation affects academic performance. Students will analyze the effects of social isolation on their school and the larger community. Students will create scenes that they have personally seen or experienced at school and will act out what social isolation looks like and sounds like. Students will create alternative scenes of social isolation in order to practice actions that can end social isolation.

Free-Write Have you ever seen social isolation at school? Describe the experience. What actions were taking place? How did you feel? How did you react? Were you the person being isolated, a bystander (person observing without taking action) or an upstander (person who stepped in and tried to end the isolation)?

Brainstorm These instances of social isolation happen to all of us, but what does this do to us?”  Class Brainstorm: What do you think the effects of social isolation might be? Social isolation doesn’t just make people feel sad and lonely, it also effects people’s physical health and mental health and can affect how they perform in school.

How do you think social isolation might affect physical health? Being isolated makes people more vulnerable to infections which causes illness. Those who are socially isolated are more likely to have lung and heart problems. Social isolation can cause worsening general health including headaches, stomach aches, and dangerous heart problems. Social isolation increases the risk of substance abuse and obesity in young adulthood, and leads to higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Worse Health in General Stomach Aches Headaches Worse Heart Health

How do you think social isolation might affect mental health? Social isolation is bad for our mental health and has been associated with sleep problems, depression, lower self- esteem and thoughts of suicide. Depression Anxiety Sleep Problems Thoughts of Suicide

How do you think social isolation might affect academic performance? Social isolation can cause a decrease in academic performance overall. Specifically, for those who feel isolated at school, they are less likely to participate in class and school life. They are more likely to perform poorly on tests. Social isolation can also cause a decline in students’ attendance and result in poorer graduations rates. Poor Test Performance Decline in Attendance Less Participation Lower Graduation Rates

Discussion Do you think it is important to try and end social isolation? Why or why not? What would happen if we, as a community, tried to stop social isolation from happening?

Brainstorming Social Isolation To end social isolation, we need to first think of instances and times where and when social isolation is likely to happen. In your group, use the No One Acts Alone worksheet and write down what social isolation looks like and sounds like here at school. Think of as many examples as you can! Example: Not having a partner or feeling like other students don’t want you to be their partner when a teacher asks you to do group work.

Theater of Inclusion To end social isolation we have to practice actions and words that we can use when we are confronted with it. Instructions: Choose one scenario that you previously brainstormed. Act out the scenario by creating a social isolation skit. Every student needs an acting role! Act out a second skit that starts exactly the same as the first skit but ends with actions that will change the isolation. This second skit is your inclusion skit! What actions and words can you change from skit #1 to skit #2 to change the social isolation situation? Be ready to perform in front of the class. Example: No One Acts Alone from No One Eats Alone (a project of Beyond Differences) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mjqzyQLe2Y

Act It Out! Audience members should identify what makes skit #2 different from skit #1. 

Don’t just act. Make this a reality Don’t just act! Make this a reality! Take this to your community and join us online! Join Beyond Differences online movement #NoOneActsAlone Follow our online campaign #NoOneEatsAlone Make your skit into a video and share it on social media using #NoOneActsAlone

No One Eats Alone™!