When the upper school introduced its first affinity group, the was entirely new to us at the time, and the group faced criticism for being cliquey and excluding people who didn’t identify with a marginalized group. With time and awareness, the community now celebrates affinity groups and actively works to make them more inclusive for the identities they are working to create a space for.

An affinity group, by definition, unites individuals with a shared identity, whether that be racial, cultural, religious, or something else. Affinity groups work by creating a place for students with a shared identity to connect and find similarity in a place where it may be hard to find in other places in the community. A 2015 article in the publication Teaching Tolerance mentioned that affinity groups help marginalized student communities to better turn discussion into action, meaning that not only do they provide a safe space, but also help facilitate safety in non-affinity places. The Society for Human Resource Management also says that these groups help with increasing diversity, morale and even productivity.

In the past few years, starting a new affinity group has been normalized and made easy to do, which helps facilitate a community that is introspective on how they act regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. This helps foster a sense of belonging for students who may be underrepresented in school, as it allows them to have groups of people with a shared identity to bond with.

And who doesn’t like spending time with people who get them without a need to explain or provide context for real experiences connected to identity?

Central to affinity groups is creating space for students to relax and not have to think about their identity as much, to be heard and understood by the people who share their identity. Students are given the option to have a fun time with people who share an affinity with them, and not have to bear the stress of having to find solutions to the everyday problems they may face, which can include microaggressions and isolation.

Recent schedule changes have allotted specific time for affinity groups, relieving the FOMO that may come from a student who wants to participate in an affinity group but doesn’t want to give up Tutorial for meeting with teachers or a sport after school. However, while administration has done a good job creating designated time affinity groups this year, students who identify with multiple groups still have to pick and choose, and affinity groups only meet once every other week.
Still, there may be a solution.

For students with intersectional identities, it will be important to mix it up when it comes to which group to attend. For students who have avoided affinity groups, thinking that they are extra work, know that their main purpose is to help people feel more comfortable with their identity, not necessarily to address every issue they face.

For students who don’t identify with any of the current affinity groups, consider proposing a new affinity group tailored a unique identity. Create a space to make new connections.