As parents and caregivers, we know how important friendships are to our children's happiness. We want them to have friends that will support them, make them laugh, and be there for them as they deal with life’s ups and downs.
Research shows that having strong and supportive friendships is important not only for happiness but actually has positive effects on their current academic success and future life outcomes.
Unfortunately, 20% of US middle and high school students report being bullied in school and of all friendships formed during any grade of middle school, approximately half do not last a school year.
Prismarians together at Camp Cory in Upstate NY
<aside> 👉 98% of learners say they are happier at Prisma than they were at their previous school or homeschooling environment.
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<aside> 👉 96% of Prisma learners say they find the Prisma community supportive and inclusive.
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Prismarians working together on a local community service project.
Adolescents and teens form supportive and lasting friendships when given the right opportunities to meet others who share their interests, have similar or complementary personalities, and when they are given the time to get to know each other well. The research shows that these friendships can be in-person only, online-only or a bit of both. The most important aspects of these friendships are that they are mutually supportive, respectful and balanced.
Traditional in-person school structures often accidentally get in the way of healthy friendships by assigning students to frequently changing classes with little flexible time to get to know each other well, limiting student classes by narrow age bands, and/or not ensuring a supportive environment for students with disabilities, students from different backgrounds, and other differences that create hurdles for forming friendships and increase bullying
Our role as parents and caregivers is to create opportunities for our children to find new friends, support them in continuing their current friendships, and watch for signs of unhealthy friendships.
"I actually think there's more socialization at Prisma where the kids can talk back and forth than there ever was in school” - MaryAnn Morgan, Prisma Parent
Prismarians dressed up for Spirit Week during standup
At Prisma, every learner is part of small long-lasting cohort with a dedicated supportive coach who gets to know each child and supports their interests and goals, is part of a supportive, respectful community including kids of various ages and from different backgrounds, and has the opportunity to hang out with learners who share their interests and spend quality time getting to know them
We offer:
💡 Enrichments: Coach- or outside provider-led mini-workshops centered around interests and passions.
Examples: Art Enrichment, Leadership Enrichment, Survival Skills Enrichment, Musical Theater Enrichment, History Enrichment
😃 Learner-Led Clubs: Learners can sign up to join or lead clubs of their choosing at the Club Fair at the beginning of each session.
Examples: Coding Club, Inventor’s Club, Zoology Club, Nature Club, Dungeons & Dragons Club
🎮 Weekly Social and Gaming Lounges: A chance for kids to get unstructured hangout time around common interests with Prisma learners from all over the world.
Examples: Minecraft, Arts & Crafts, Gaming, Pet, Business Lounges
Aubrey, Courtney, Story, and Hattie
Shared Interests: Many friendships are formed based on mutual interests, so helping our children find others with shared hobbies and passions is a great way to encourage in-person friendships. Check out some of our suggestions here: