Lauren and Victoria Coaxum released an awesome article about ways you can make an impact this year and it really got me thinking. Making a difference doesn’t have to be solving world hunger or saving the rainforest, it can be as small as smiling at someone in the halls or complimenting another person on their shoes. You really never know what a positive impact you can make on others unless you try it! Here are 4 ways you can make an impact this year at school.

Take some time out of your day to befriend someone new. That could be someone who you’ve never made an effort to get to know or a brand new student. Either way it’s always nice to be friends with someone who is lonely or new. They could end up being a great new addition to your friend group or an amazing study partner. I know that when I started middle school, I was completely new. I had come from a different district and the only students I knew were ones from sports teams. A group of girls decided to befriend me and became some of my best friends till college.

Help someone out who needs it. If there is someone who is struggling in class or having a hard time on a sports team, help them out! If you take a few minutes to assist someone else, it may really impact their day positively! When I played water polo in high school, I had a teammate that was having a hard time with her endurance swimming. I took the time to offer my personal pool so that we could practice endurance swimming together. By the end of the season she was awarded with the Most Improved Award!

You could join a club or group in order to make an impact. You will meet new people and work together towards something you all support and agree with. There even may be a club or group that is lacking student participation. Just by you joining, you are making a different to other group members and helping towards a collective goal. You will strengthen the community of your school and show that working together can achieve something great.

Be more positive online. Making the smallest effort to be kinder to people on social media can result in new friends and a healthier online environment. The anonymity of being online has made people too bold and insensitive. I may sound like a hippie or something, but we should all just be nicer and more supportive!

I hope you now have some easy and simple ways to make an impact. Have a wonderful school year!