Links for hope and love foster social-emotional learning

Many schools today are increasingly ethnically diverse, with students from various social and economic backgrounds. Educators and administrators are always trying to find ways to present students and families with different forms of motivation for youth to engage in learning, behave appropriately, problem solve and believe positively. Social and emotional learning programs (SEL) are designed to assist support educators, administrators and community members in their efforts to help youth to be more productive and socially become “worldwide aware citizens.” SEL programs encompass classroom, schoolwide, family, community, and world practices to help our students develop key skills for their future success. Not only do social and emotional learning programs provide the necessary life skills for safe and positive learning and further improve students’ ability to be successful in school, future careers and life in general, but also help both children and the adults in their lives to better understand and deal with their thoughts and emotions, increase self-awareness and develop empathy for others around them and in the world.

Corry Area Primary School utilizes an SEL curriculum across multiple grade levels. As a part of the district’s program in pre-K through second grade, students recently participated in an exciting world event to further help them develop key skills for future success. The Kids for Peace organization has organized an occasion for students/people across the world to participate in uplifting our world through love and action. This organization has invited the entire world to come together to share messages of love and hope while making the world’s longest paper chain ever! Link by link, it will demonstrate that we truly are connected and we are all in this together!

The Kids for Peace organization is attempting to set a new Guinness World Record by creating a 110+ mile inspirational paperchain. They need to collect 1.5 million links of paper each with a message of love and hope for the world. Once the links are assembled into a Kindness Unites paper chain, it will be measured. After the chain is officially measured for the Guinness World Record, they will distribute sections to hospitals, senior centers, schools, libraries and more as a remarkable reminder that we are all #LinkedByLove! What a great way to commemorate this huge undertaking and recognize youth for their efforts to be kind. Doing the lesson in each classroom gave the opportunity for all students to see what they can accomplish when they work together. It was also a great time to be able to share previous years’ Guinness World Record books for students to view and read. Classes were able to explore and examine the many positive attributes individuals and groups must possess to be a part of this amazing book. This activity challenged students to discuss determination, never giving up, hard work, courage, perseverance and goals.

There is still time for other schools or organizations to participate in this event. The Love Links can still be decorated and delivered to the Kids for Peace headquarters in California by November 13, 2021. The way it works is very simple. Decorate links with messages of love and hope. You can be as creative as you would like. The links are then mailed to the organization for assembly. Some of the fascinating links will also be displayed on the Kids for Peace website and through other means of social media.

For more information about Links for Love and the address to mail the links to, please visit https://kidsforpeaceglobal.org/linkedbylove/. This was a great experience for children to learn about uniting with each others for a common good and learn about world records that have been set. The website also offers many more resources and programs for world kindness.