Building Lasting Connections in a Transient Community: Tips and Strategies for Cultivating Meaningful Friendships

-

 





DBSJP VALUES IN FOCUS: FRIENDSHIP


Building Lasting Connections in a Transient Community: Tips and Strategies for Cultivating Meaningful Friendships




Jen Cruickshank

Deputy Head of Secondary


In today's fast-paced world, it's not uncommon for people to move frequently due to work or personal reasons. In living in a transient international community, this can make it difficult to form lasting connections with others, particularly living somewhere like the UAE where the nature is that families frequently move in and out of the country. One of the main things that stood out to me as a newcomer in the DBSJP community was how seriously the school values positive relationships and promotes making friendships in everything we do. I see daily parents welcoming new parents into groups, how students envelop new students with such care and attention to ensure that they receive the same positive experiences that they did, and the hours of planning that goes into our events to enable us a community to come together. It makes me proud to feel a part of it and in writing this blog, it prompted me to think of ways that we can truly make our friends our family and with Ramadan’s imminent arrival it felt right to publish at this time.

So, how can you make lasting friendships in a transient community? Here are a few tips:

1.Be open and welcoming: One of the best ways to make friends is to be open and welcoming to others. Smile, say hello, and strike up a conversation with people you meet, even if you haven’t seen them before. Show an interest in others and be willing to share a bit about yourself as well.

2.Get involved in community activities: Joining a club or group that interests you is a great way to meet like-minded people. Whether it's a sports team, a book club, or a volunteer organisation, getting involved in the community can help you form connections with others who share your interests. We have so many opportunities for this within school for students, parents, and staff to get involved such as book clubs, parent trips, student trips, and lots of community events such as our fabulous Winter Wonderland and upcoming Iftar.

3. Be there for each other: Just like family members, friends who feel like family will be there for you through thick and thin. Celebrate their successes and offer support when they face challenges. Make time to lend an ear, offer advice, or help in practical ways when needed.

4.Use technology: Social media and other online platforms can be a great way to connect with others in your community. We have a school Instagram page where we will often share upcoming events and we will often link any additional groups that support us in the delivery of these.

5.Be patient: Making lasting friendships takes time, so be patient and don't give up. It's important to nurture the relationships you do form and be open to new friendships as well.

6. Be honest and communicate openly: Honesty and open communication are key to any healthy relationship. Be honest with your friends, even if it's difficult, and communicate openly about your feelings and needs.

And lastly, accept and celebrate each other's differences: Everyone is different, and it's important to accept and appreciate those differences in your friends. Embrace diversity and be open to learning from each other.

Relationships take time and effort to build in and it’s important to invest time in to building relationships. Making lasting friendships in a transient community is possible with a bit of effort and patience. By being open, getting involved, using technology, and nurturing your relationships, you can find friends who become like family. Remember, it's not about the quantity of friends, but the quality of those relationships that matter most.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Courage: A fundamental value that promotes positive character development in learning

-
Image
  DBSJP VALUES IN FOCUS: COURAGE A fundamental value that promotes positive character development in learning Russell Smart Deputy Head of Primary Courage. One of the eight values that we have identified at DBSJP as important to building a positive learning character trait. It is a fundamental value that is highly valued in our society beyond the classroom. It is defined as the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation, and act in spite of it. Courage can take many forms, including physical bravery, moral courage, and emotional resilience. “I will survive” It is fair to say that I often confuse the traits of courage and resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity, to recover from setbacks and to keep going in the face of adversity. Resilience is a key component of mental health and well-being. We are proud of how we support our learners at DBSJP to build resilience in a number of different areas. Research has shown that resilience
Read more

Why finding who you are, and standing by it, is the key to success.

-
Image
  Amy Falhi Vice Principal & Head of Primary DBSJP VALUES IN FOCUS: INTEGRITY In this series, our leaders will explore one of our key values each month.   New Year, ( New You) New Approach Why finding who you are, and standing by it, is the key to success With the turning of each New Year comes the inevitable bombardment of adverts, social media posts and even our internal voices, calling for reinvention. Prompts to be better friends, better spouses, better parents, better humans flood our platforms and our minds… the underlying tone being that we aren’t good enough and we need to do better . But what if we changed the narrative for 2023? What if ‘doing better’ was not a remodel but rather a quest to look inward rather than out, seek who we really are, and aim to live this reality to the full? Integrity: being honest and advocating what you believe in, even when no one is watching . On paper, this may sound easy, yet the reality is a little different. To stand by yo
Read more

Determination and Excellence - Being the Best Version of You!

-
Image
  Eleanor Wade Head of Secondary DBSJP VALUES IN FOCUS: DETERMINATION AND EXCELLENCE In this series, our leaders will explore one of our key values each month. ‘All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.’ Walt Disney We all want our dreams, our children’s dreams and our friend's dreams to come true. We are encouraged to reach for the stars, aim high and work hard, have determination to achieve our dreams and desires. To be the best that we can be. The pursuit of excellence!   It sounds so simple – be the best that you can be, but the reality is very different, it is hard work. So how do we go about achieving this as we know the road to success is never easy. Some say that excellence is the key to success and that the journey will not be a smooth one, with many struggles and setbacks before we can reach ‘Excellence’. In the world that we are living in it is easy to see the people around us, our inspirations celebrating success whether in academic achievemen
Read more