OP-ED: Friendship Day continues to make an impact

By Emma Juchau,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Friendship Day was founded in the early 1980s in response to a racially-motivated murder on the Davis High campus. According to Friendship Day coordinator Kevin Williams, the hope in creating Friendship Day was that “kids would begin to see that they’re more similar than they are different.”

Friendship Day president and senior Gabi Ramer says Friendship Day aims to break down racial, social and academic stereotypes that students face on campus, as well as to strengthen old friendships and help students make new ones.

Once a month, a group of about 60 students are invited to attend Friendship Day. Students are excused from school all day, and go to the Redwood Center next to Cesar Chavez Elementary where they spend the day playing incredibly fun get-to-know-you games and learning about the other students.

I attended Friendship Day for the first time on Jan. 15. It was the first time I’d been invited, and I’d been wanting to go for quite awhile. I was a little concerned that it was going to be awkward and uncomfortable, but upon arriving, found quite the opposite.

From the moment I walked in the door, I felt that I was welcome and that I could be myself without worrying about what others would think. Everyone there was open and accepting, particularly the facilitators.

The morning was spent playing fun, silly games and doing activities that really allowed us to get to know the other people who were there. After lunch, things got a little more serious.

After watching a clip from “The Breakfast Club,” we broke into small groups to discuss the issue of stereotypes on our campus. While facilitators did lead the discussion, it was really driven by the students.

“Each discussion might be a little different, to talk about issues that are important and current to [the students in that small group],” Ramer said.

In our small group, we focused on Da Vinci versus DHS stereotypes. Being able to openly discuss the DHS-Da Vinci division was really interesting, and hearing about it from both sides was even more so.

Everyone had the opportunity to add to the discussion if they wished, but no one was required to. Facilitators seemed to be very conscious of sensitive subjects, and never singled any one person out, which I appreciated.

Being the shy person that I am, I stayed quiet, but gained just as much from listening. If I’d been called out, I would’ve just been stressed and flustered because that isn’t something that I’m comfortable with. Being able to just listen to the other students and hear about their experiences was just as beneficial to me and, I suspect, to the other shy attendees.

Facilitators organized several feel-good activities designed to increase self-confidence and self-esteem–and they worked.

In one, small groups passed around index cards with each student’s name written on it; all of the other students wrote compliments for you on your card.

The smiles on everyone’s faces upon reading what the others had to say about them were so beautiful. Just knowing that the people around you have so many good things to say about you is incredibly encouraging.

The overwhelming feeling of acceptance and love from the other students there was amazing to see. Being on such a large campus, it can be hard for people to make friends and get to know each other. Friendship Day provided a safe, comfortable environment to do just that.

For that whole day, I almost never stopped smiling, and I wasn’t the only one.

It amazes me that such a close sense of community could form in a group that large, and in so little time. I’m a pretty shy person, but I can honestly say that I made several new friends in just that one day.

If you haven’t been to Friendship Day, I highly encourage you to go. Don’t turn down an invitation because you’re too busy. Going to Friendship Day is worth missing that one day of school.