Skills Guide
Teaching: Kindness and Friendship
Kindness and Friendship
WhyTry Units:
Why This Skill Matters
Kindness and friendship are essential to resilience because they shape how students experience belonging, safety, and support. Students who struggle to build or maintain friendships often experience isolation, rejection, or conflict, which can undermine motivation and emotional well-being. Teaching kindness helps students recognize the impact of their actions on others, while friendship skills support connection, empathy, and cooperation. Together, these skills strengthen resilience by reinforcing that students are not alone and that positive relationships can be built intentionally.
Student Challenges This Skill Helps Address
- Social isolation or peer rejection
- Bullying or unkind behavior
- Difficulty forming or maintaining friendships
- Acting out to gain attention or acceptance
How WhyTry Builds This Skill
WhyTry builds kindness and friendship primarily through Peer Influence & Positive Relationships, where students explore how choices affect peers and learn strategies for building positive connections. Positive Self-Image supports this work by reinforcing self-respect and seeing strengths in others, while Support Systems & Relationship Building helps students recognize and strengthen healthy relationships. Facilitators guide reflection on how kindness and friendship contribute to personal resilience and community well-being.
Peer Influence & Positive Relationships
(“Climbing Out”)
In Peer Influence & Positive Relationships, kindness and friendship are taught as intentional choices that shape group culture and personal well-being. Facilitators guide students to reflect on how everyday actions—words, inclusion, boundaries, and respect—affect others. Processing emphasizes that kindness strengthens trust and belonging, while healthy friendships provide emotional safety and support, both of which are essential for resilience.
Positive Self-Image
(“Labels”)
Positive Self-Image supports kindness and friendship by strengthening students’ sense of self-worth. Facilitators help students recognize that when they feel secure in who they are, they are less likely to seek approval through unkind behavior or exclusion. Processing reinforces that self-respect and empathy go hand in hand, creating healthier peer connections.
Support Systems & Relationship Building
(“Plugging In)
In Support Systems & Relationship Building, students learn how friendships function as protective supports. Facilitators guide reflection on identifying healthy friendships, maintaining connection, and contributing positively to relationships. This processing helps students understand that kindness and friendship are resilience skills that help them navigate stress and adversity.