Young people’s experiences of belongingness can be cultivated by trusted adults, and belongingness deepens through an identifiable process. We call this the Belongingness Process.
When Springtide analyzed the interview data for our Belonging report, we observed a clear pattern in the stories of young people as they moved from joining a group to ultimately experiencing true belonging within that group.
Over and over again, three distinct experiences showed up in their narratives: feeling noticed, feeling named, and feeling known. These experiences build on one another to deepen the overall experience of belonging. This movement sometimes happens quickly and sometimes more slowly.