Social Isolation: Effects on Youth Social isolation, the lack of interaction and connection with other people, can have detrimental effects on a person’s physical and mental health. Children and teens that experience social isolation over long period of time may even develop health issues that follow them into adulthood. Research also shows that a sense of belonging is an important part of success in school. Mental Health Effects Low self-esteem Anxiety Depression Self-harm Eating disorders Suicidal tendencies Physical Effects Headaches and stomach aches Sleep disturbances Obesity or extreme weight loss Increased risk of substance abuse Long-term effects of high blood

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Join Nationwide Movement: Promote Acceptance & Inclusion Lunchtime is the primary social period during the school day. Many students look forward to lunchtime as an enjoyable time with friends and a much-needed break from studies, but students who feel like they are on the fringes often look upon this agonizing hour with dread. National No One Eats Alone Day is a student-led movement that aims to reduce social isolation by promoting kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Students can seek and find classmates in need of a friend, yet many students feel uncomfortable with introducing themselves to someone that they have never

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iDrive Agent | Join the Movement: Promote Kindness, Tolerance & Respect Online If technology can be used to create turmoil, then the same technologies can be used to promote tolerance and respect for people from all walks of life. iDrive Agents can make a positive impact by showing kindness, tolerance and respect for diversity. Share your demonstrations of Kindness and Tolerance on social media throughout the month of November. Your real-world actions serves to cultivate a positive online culture and inspires others to do the same. Here is a bit of background information on these observance days along with some

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Featured Article | A Pothole in Your Pathway: Social Media Privacy Pointers If you share personal information on your accounts, consider setting your account to private. Technology settings have workarounds, and your account can be hacked using phishing scams and other social engineering techniques. You expose personal information to unknown others online by accepting friend or follower requests from people you don’t know in person, or by inadvertently connecting to an imposter account. (You know–that unofficial celebrity Twitter account that readily accepted your follower request, followed back and is now sending you messages and comments?) Have you ever heard of

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College Ready: What You Need to Know – Academic Grades How are colleges using academic records to reach their decisions? Your GPA is one of those “hard factors” that colleges consider; grades and course enrollment. Four year universities often prefer that you have at least a GPA of 3.0 or B average. For some, this means hard work whereas for others, this is a relief. Of course, high grades are often equated with entrance into prestigious universities and success in higher education. High school students in honors and AP programs earn as much as 5 points on the 4 point

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