Screens are all around us. And they're often blamed for cultivating isolation, loneliness, and depression, especially among children and teens. But can they be repurposed to foster connection, warmth, and well-being? That’s the ambition of one educator. On this episode of Good at Heart, WSHU's Randye Kaye spoke with Furahi Achebe about her Climate Signs initiative and how it helps students feel seen, heard, and understood.
FA: What I am finding in classrooms is that I’m hearing a lot of discussion from young people about just not feeling well, not feeling content, not feeling like they’re enough, and not feeling motivated to do the things they need to do to succeed.
WSHU: Furahi Achebe knows children. She’s a science teacher, a mother of 4, a grandmother of 8, and a foster mother of 2. And now she’s an entrepreneur. Achebe has started a for-profit company called The Salubrious Schools Initiative. It addresses the anxiety and loneliness that many children feel today. Hi, I’m Randye Kaye, host of the podcast Good at Heart, where we have conversations with people who quietly make the world better. I spoke with Furahi Achebe about her initiative. Here’s how she describes the work they do.
FA: Our mission is to promote warmth, wonder, and well-being in schools across the country, and the way that we do that is by sharing a micro broadcast that loops every two or so minutes, showing beautiful imagery and reminding us to connect, and also reminding us to consider our self-isolating behaviors, and also we have all sorts of seasonal social-emotional learning in there for students.
WSHU: I love it. So obviously, we're here to talk about that initiative and that mission. Can I ask you how many schools have initiated this looping video?
FA: We are just getting started on this initiative. In previous years, we focused on the business aspects of our company, which involves creating the same kinds of beneficial signage for schools, and then I decided at the end of last year that I wanted to distribute this to anyone with a screen.
WSHU: So why you? Why did you decide to do this? What's your story?
FA: Wow. So what's my story? I'm a person who has spent my life loving science, loving social science, and loving media. Before I entered this field, I was a medicinal chemist for 19 years, and after that, I worked four years as a chemist in the mining industry. I decided that I wanted to teach because I was spending almost all of my free time volunteering with students to promote science literacy, but then I realized that before our students can learn and before they can learn rigorous things, they need to be well,
WSHU: Right. Mentally well.
FA: They can’t learn well unless they are well, and I was noticing that so often when students had projects that they could do in school, like Senior Capstone Projects, oftentimes they focused on themselves and their mental health and their mental health journey. Even my 10th graders, when I asked them what subject they wanted to cover for their documentary, wanted to cover mental health. And so I realized that there is a profound problem. And I also believe there is a common root of this problem, and that is loneliness. Many, many Americans are facing loneliness, but young people are facing it more heavily than other age groups.
WSHU: So why do you think that, as a teacher and as a mom and as a grandma, you're certainly noticing all these things? And like me, you've seen many generations of young people pass through your life. Why do you think this loneliness is so much more prevalent now?
FA: I believe that loneliness is so much more prevalent now because we have lost some of the social interactions that we had. There used to be many, many more organizations that children participated in. There were church groups, and there were recreation centers, and there were all kinds of second spaces where people went and interacted. The Brownies, the Girl Scouts, the this, the that, and what we're seeing is the diminishing of those programs. Maybe they're underfunded. People are definitely less interested, and so the opportunities to interact in informal ways are just going away. And with that said, a lot of us, including grown-ups, do things that inhibit conversations. For instance, we wear headphones when we're in the presence of others. That really knocks down the probability that someone's going to speak to you because they feel like your ears are already occupied. We hold a phone in our hand and pretend that we're looking at it instead of just dealing with the social anxiety we feel upon sitting still when others are present. So instead of looking them in the eye, we're oftentimes looking down at our hands, the phone in our hands. Because of that happening over and over and over again, we are missing real opportunities to connect.
WSHU: Absolutely. So you saw this, and so you decided to create this mission. I have a question, though. When you say, how did you call it? Significant Signage? What's the term that you use?
FA: I would call it beneficial digital signage.
WSHU: So, give me an example. What is a beneficial digital sign? What does it say?
FA: A beneficial digital sign would say, "Remember to reconnect with others today.” Very simple, simple messaging. Because I think a lot of us walk around knowing the truth.
WSHU: Right,
FA: We just need to be prodded. I don't want people to think that you just go out randomly talking to strangers. A school setting is a place where there are numerous trustworthy individuals that students can be instructed on how to interact with those folks in a safe and appropriate way.
WSHU: Okay.
FA: And when they do, they get to be seen, heard, and understood. And that is, I believe, this is one of the things we don't talk about enough as something that is essential. But it is. It is essential that we are seen, heard, and understood. And when you talk about the physical effects of the United States current loneliness crisis. This is how it manifests. People are not getting that human need met. Okay, so I feel this is opinion now. I feel that a lot of negative biochemistry happens, and a lot of negative thought patterns follow when we don't feel seen, heard, and understood.
WSHU: I totally, totally agree. I am passionate about human connection myself. We each have various needs for it. I'm assuming, since you're launching this on a larger scale, that you've tested it out in schools.
FA: Absolutely.
WSHU: Right. So I would like to know what the results have been, and also, there's a huge percentage of schools across the nation now and locally, here in Connecticut, it’s not a statewide initiative, but it's left up to the local school boards to have cell phone policies and have them be screen-free. Students don't have their phones in some schools. They're talking about not giving them iPads so soon, so there is sort of a backlash happening. Do you feel that schools limiting the amount of usage of screens is helpful? And what are the results that you have found when you tested this in beta?
FA: Okay, so I am in charge of doing the digital signage at my school in New Haven. What I have found is that there is an amazing power to a question. Something about a question makes people feel like they need to answer. So I have seen people just look at each other and ask each other the question that happens to be on the screen in the moment.
WSHU: Wow!
FA: Somehow it just happens naturally, and so that is why the centerpiece of all of the press is today's conversation question.
WSHU: Love it. Give me an example.
FA: What is your most memorable moment of summer?
WSHU: Okay, love that.
FA: What would you like to do better this year? Who is the person you can always count on? What brings you joy? In fact, I have been distributing those questions, and anyone can feel free to write me, and I'll give my email address to the public: Furhai achebe@gmail.com, and I will send you a whole set of questions to ask in case you are not interested in utilizing our broadcasts. But our broadcasts have each of them every single day; there is a Today's Conversation Question. So even the most shyest, the person with the greatest social anxiety, or the person who needs to think and rethink their answer several times, can be prepared if someone should approach them and ask them today's conversation question. When I do this in my classroom, people-the ones that aren't shy - are delighted to raise their hand and give the answer and share their opinion with everyone in the most boisterous way. The others are happy to write it in their bellwork. So when they enter the classroom while I'm taking attendance and getting myself together, there's always bellwork. So people will answer those questions in the bellwork, and I'll circulate and look at their answers and start small conversations based on that.
WSHU: I love that.
FA: The children need that.
WSHU: Yep, I've got to tell you that I went out and got one of those sweatshirts that say on the front "You Are Enough”, and on the back it says, "Dear person behind me, you make the world better.” Whatever it says, I don't know. It's on the back of my sweatshirt. But I wanted to see what would happen, and it's a little warm to wear a sweatshirt this summer. But when I have worn it, I've gotten the kind of reactions that they talk about because it's just a little conversation starter, like your questions. I've had somebody tap me on the shoulder and they’re just like, “Thank you for your message. Where'd you get the sweatshirt?” Whatever it is just a way to connect. So I feel you, and I can feel your passion for teaching and for this, so I'd like to know what inspires you. Is there a quote? Is there a philosophy you live by? What do you say in your head to give you the passion that you have?
FA: I believe that many of the things that ail us, many of the problems and challenges that ail us, can be solved by people coming together to act in small ways, and a smile or eye-to-eye contact, a little question, a little pause to really, really connect-that builds people, and I've seen it build people.
WSHU: I love that.
FA: And I know that it matters.
WSHU: There's this adage about camping: when you're camping out, leave the campsite cleaner than when you arrived. And I believe that about small interactions-that leave that interaction a little bit more positive than when you arrived. Like if somebody waves me to make the left turn or whatever, I always thank them. Just wave your hand. Okay, I digress. How can others help your mission now? What do you need from the general public? How can they find out about it, and how can they help?
FA: Well, the first thing I can speak on is educators. We really do need educators to be a part of the Salubrious Schools Initiative, and all that you need to do is check out the broadcast. If it is appropriate and does not violate any of your district rules, then share it, play it. It's only two minutes, and then follow up by asking questions or follow up by amplifying any social-emotional lesson that you deem appropriate for your students. We all need to provide systemic support for well-being. Every one of us is in that building because every one of us in that building has been selected to support students. And that is one powerful way that we can transform their lives by seeing, hearing, and understanding them. The second thing that we can do is to support this programming. Anyone can support this programming. We are not a nonprofit. I could not deal with being a nonprofit again. I have a nonprofit, and you spend all of your time raising funds rather than doing the work. So I got out there, and I invested my own money and made this happen because I don't have time to look for people to start my initiative.
WSHU: Does this cost a school money to subscribe to this?
FA: It is absolutely free, and we encourage schools to utilize any of our three websites to promote well-being in their school. The morning one is called the Homeroom Channel. The one that runs all day with well-being information is ThriveScreens.org, and the website that supports urban students is called CityLife. LifeScreens. Org, and so any of those can help your students. You can get access to all three of them by going to SchoolClimateSigns.com/free-channels.
WSHU: Love it, love it, love it.
FA: Over there is a link to all three of the channels. Now, in terms of financial support, individuals, companies, anyone can support a day, or they can support our belonging thread, or our connection thread, or our wonder thread that has amazing science facts chosen by me in them. You can be a general supporter. When you support us, the work that you support will appear on all three channels, and it will be free to students, free to schools. So to support our programs, please go to schoolsclimatesigns.com forward slash salubrious dash schools dash support.
WSHU: Wonderful, thank you, and of course all of those websites are also in the show notes, so check that out. One final question: I ask everybody, why do you think we're here on Earth?
FA: I believe that. We are here on Earth to enjoy our lives without harming others, and to help others enjoy their life.
