🏙️💬 Friendship Builders: Creating Welcoming Spaces Together
🎒 An Afterschool Program for Ages 8–11
💛 Kind Words. Brave Actions. A More Inclusive World.
Kids ages 8–11 are starting to notice how people are treated—and they want to make things better.
Friendship Builders is an engaging, hands-on afterschool experience where kids learn how to welcome others, celebrate differences, and make sure everyone feels like they belong. With games, creative projects, and real-world kindness missions, kids become young community leaders—building spaces where care, respect, and inclusion are the norm.
🧭 How It Works
Each session is full of connection, creativity, and impact through:
🧠 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): Build empathy, self-awareness, and communication skills.
🧩 Identity & Inclusion Activities: Explore what makes us all unique—and what connects us.
🎨 Creative Projects: Use art, storytelling, and design to express ideas about fairness, friendship, and belonging.
🤝 Mini Leadership Missions: Practice real ways to make school and community spaces more welcoming.
🛠️ Sample Missions
Each week brings new opportunities to lead with heart:
🌎 Belonging Map: Work together to design a “Welcome Map” of your classroom, school, or neighborhood—where everyone feels included.
🗣️ Kindness Campaign: Make posters, videos, or announcements that spread messages of respect and inclusion.
🎭 Walk in Their Shoes: Act out short skits that explore how it feels to be left out—and how to invite others in.
💌 Compassion Cards: Create hand-made cards to support people going through tough times (like new students, bus drivers, or hospital patients).
🎨 Celebrating Cultures Day: Learn about classmates' backgrounds and co-create an art wall that celebrates your group’s diversity.
🎉 Friendship Builders Celebration
At the end of the program, we host a heartwarming Friendship Builders Celebration, featuring:
🎤 Speeches or skits by students about kindness and inclusion
🎨 A showcase of creative projects and mini-missions
🏅 Awards for “Compassion in Action” and “Friendship Leadership”
🌟 A shared pledge to keep welcoming others all year long
Parents, peers, and school staff are invited to cheer them on!
🎁 Take-Home Builder Kits
Each child receives a Friendship Builder Kit to extend the kindness at home:
💬 Conversation cards about empathy and friendship
🎨 DIY poster or sticker pack for spreading positivity
📚 A mini-book on caring for others and handling conflict
💛 “Home Kindness Missions” to do with family or friends
Perfect for reinforcing lessons and spreading goodness beyond the classroom.
🌟 What Kids Walk Away With
🧠 Awareness: Understanding how actions and words affect others
💛 Compassion: A stronger sense of empathy and fairness
🎨 Expression: Tools to use creativity for inclusion and kindness
🤝 Leadership: Confidence to stand up, speak out, and make change
🌈 Belonging: A powerful experience of teamwork and shared humanity
✨ Because Kids Can Build the World They Want to See
Friendship Builders gives kids the tools, voice, and courage to create spaces where everyone feels safe, seen, and supported.
🏫 Their classroom.
🫶 Their community.
🌍 Their future.
Let’s build it—together.