Help teens embrace new friendships with this actionable lesson from the Self-Built Teens Workbook. Whether it's conquering anxiety, fostering mindfulness, or building emotional resilience, Lesson J sets the stage for meaningful growth.
Positive Self-Talk
“I join a community.”
How to Use This Lesson
1. Meet the Powerful You Teen
Introduce Joining Jamie and the lesson theme, Join-In Your Community: Building Connections. Talk about how everyone wants to feel accepted, included, and connected to others. Ask teens, “Have you ever felt left out of a group or nervous about meeting new people?” Discuss how friendships often grow through shared interests and how trying something new can open the door to meaningful connections.
2. Practice Positive Self-Talk
Introduce Jamie's phrase: “I join a community.” Encourage teens to repeat it silently and notice how their thoughts influence their willingness to connect with others. Discuss how replacing discouraging thoughts such as “Other people don't like me” with supportive self-talk can help them approach new friendships with courage. Remind teens that feeling nervous is normal and that belonging often begins with one small step.
3. Breathe & Stretch
Use the FREE 5-minute classroom chair-stretch video below or lead the Supported Knee Lift Stretch from the Self-Built Teens book. Invite teens to stand beside a partner for support and balance. Shift weight onto the left foot, lift the right knee, and gently open it to the side while using a partner's hand for balance. Take three slow breaths, then switch sides. Encourage teens to notice how offering and receiving support can help us feel stronger and more connected.
4. Read the Story & Reflect
Read Jamie's story from the Self-Built Teens book. Discuss how Jamie felt excluded from conversations and assumed others didn't like her. Explore how joining a club helped her meet like-minded people, share laughter, and experience a sense of belonging. Use the reflection and journaling prompts for discussion, partner sharing, or private writing. Ask, “What activities have helped you make friends?” and “When have you received support from others or helped someone feel included?”
5. Connect with a Breaker Activity
If time permits, use Jamie's Join In Group Activity from the book. Invite teens to stand in a circle with a ball of yarn. One person shares something about themselves they would like others to know, then holds onto the end of the yarn and tosses the ball to another person. Continue until everyone has shared and a web of connections forms across the circle. Discuss how each person brings something unique to the group and how the web represents the connections and support that strengthen a community.
6. Display the Skill Sign
Display Joining Jamie's Join-In Your Community: Building Connections skill sign to reinforce the lesson. Explore places to meet new friends, including Local Concerts or Festivals, Sports Teams or Fitness Classes, Safe Online Communities, YMCA or Boys & Girls Clubs, Part-Time Jobs or Internships, Workshops, Volunteer Opportunities, and Church or School Clubs. Review the six Brave Beginning Tips: Show Up Nervous, Genuinely Compliment Others, Invite or Include Someone, Go Back—Try Again, Find Shared Interests, and Smile. Invite teens to identify one community activity they might enjoy and one small step they could take to connect with others. Reinforce the message, “Connection starts with courage. Together, we grow stronger.”
7. Practice at Home
Encourage teens to continue building connections outside the classroom. Share the FREE 20-minute home yoga video or the 5-minute parent chair-stretch video below. Invite teens and families to explore how breathing, movement, and positive self-talk can build confidence when trying new activities or meeting new people. Encourage teens to identify one opportunity to join a group, volunteer, or help someone else feel included during the week.
Chair Stretch Video
Parent Chair Stretch Video
20-Minute Home Yoga Video
Journaling Song
Don’t Have the Workbook Yet? Get the Self-Built Teens Workbook—Empower Teens Today
With Self-Built Teens Workbook, each lesson builds confidence, resilience, and emotional awareness. Lesson A is just the beginning of a journey toward empowerment and thriving.
Start Building Confidence Today : Explore the A-to-Z Guide Now
Help teens build confidence, connection, and essential life skills—one letter at a time!
Powerful You: Self-Built Teens is an engaging A–Z life skills workbook designed for parents, school counselors, educators, and anyone supporting teens.
Each lesson includes a short, relatable story and reflective turn-and-talk prompts that encourage meaningful conversations, self-awareness, positive choices, and stronger relationships.
What's Inside:
26 A–Z life skills lessons
Short stories that spark reflection and discussion
Turn-and-talk prompts that build connection
Mindful chair stretches to release tension and re-energize learning
Practical activities that encourage problem-solving and self-management
Inspired by Real Teens
As a district school counselor, Julie Frizzi listened to students share what would help them feel more connected at school. Their ideas included short movement breaks, time to reflect with classmates, and fun icebreaker activities.
Self-Built Teens brings those ideas together in an easy-to-use resource that helps teens discover their strengths, build relationships, and develop tools for everyday life.
Free Stretching Videos
Visit the Self-Built Teens section of the Powerful You website for free stretching videos that accompany each of the 26 lessons.
Want the Matching Life Skill Signs?
Explore the Self-Built Teens Bundle, which includes the printed book and a digital collection of all 26 matching life skill signs.
Format: Printed book
Powerful You — Breathe • Stretch • Life Skills