At Delaware Military Academy students observed that our society is divided. They wanted to inspire students to build a more connected community, so they wrote the below Community Building Agreement, shared this presentation to explain why this is so important, and created this linked video to inspire students to sign.

31% of the all DMA students and faculty have signed this document. We hope more schools will get involved with this project to help grow our loving community.

The Community Building Agreement

We would like to build a stronger community together. There are many obstacles we must overcome. While the news promotes division and blame, and social media encourages unhealthy comparisons and competition, we want to encourage healthy and authentic relationships throughout our community. 

Teenagers feel pressure to succeed as students, athletes, and socially while functioning in a society with unresolved challenges like gun violence, racial injustice, and drug addiction. It can be overwhelming causing anxiety, fear, anger, and sadness. There are no easy fixes to these challenges, but we can create a safer and healthier community to help people navigate these strong emotions. No one should need to face these challenges alone. Every person here is valued. 

Social connection and personal growth are the keys. I will strive to focus on improving myself while making new and deeper friendships. If a peer is struggling, I will try to listen to and support them. I will not give positive attention to disrespectful and inappropriate behaviors. I will do my part to create a positive, healthy, and compassionate community that supports all of its members. 

As we learn to trust the support within our school, we can start examining the societal challenges together to find constructive solutions. While our impact as individuals is likely to be small, if we work together, we can create meaningful change. 

If you would like to be part of the effort to build the above community, please sign the agreement.