Connectedness, Hope, and the Role of Schools in a Fractured World

“I don’t think anyone would notice if I wasn’t here.”

That’s a comment I overheard from a student in a school I visited recently. It broke my heart. And it’s not the first time that’s happened. It seems to me that many young people feel adrift nowadays; unseen, unheard, and unsure where they belong. Teachers report students struggling not just with academic challenges but with a deeper sense of disconnection: from each other, from their families and communities, and from the wider world.

Part of the problem lies in the scale of the challenges young people see around them. Climate change, economic instability, political division, and wars can feel so overwhelming that they seem powerless to make a difference. Many express a quiet despair: What’s the point?

But there’s another factor intensifying this sense of disconnection. Across many countries, including here in New Zealand, policies that once sought to close gaps and create more inclusive schools are being rolled back. Initiatives supporting gender diversity, anti-racism education, and cultural competence – programmes that helped marginalised learners feel seen and valued – are under attack or being dismantled. These changes are not abstract. For many young people, they signal that their identities and communities are less worthy of recognition or protection, which deepens feelings of alienation and erodes trust in the institutions meant to support them.

This growing sense of disconnection echoes themes Johann Hari explores in Lost Connections, where he argues that much of the epidemic of depression and anxiety stems not from chemical imbalances but from the way we live. Hari identifies nine causes of disconnection: from meaningful work, other people, values, the natural world, status and respect, a secure future, and healing childhood trauma.

Without these forms of connection, young people struggle to find hope. Psychologist C.R. Snyder’s Hope Theory defines hope as the ability to (1) find pathways toward meaningful goals and (2) believe in one’s own capacity to move along those pathways. When students cannot see a purpose worth pursuing, or when they doubt they have the ability to make progress, hope diminishes – and with it, motivation, wellbeing, and engagement.

This link between engagement and connection is explored further in The Disengaged Teen by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop. They argue that engagement is crucial for tackling absenteeism, low achievement, and mental health challenges. The authors emphasise the importance of agency in education, showing how students thrive when they have meaningful choices, when learning is driven by their interests, and when teaching practices support autonomy. They provide practical strategies for parents and educators to increase engagement through interest-led discussions, opportunities for student voice, and authentic involvement in shaping their learning experiences.

This lack of connection to people is equally troubling. Many young people are turning to AI companions on platforms like CHAI, Character.AI and Replika as substitutes for real-life interactions. A recent EdWeek article reported that one-third of teens feel just as “satisfied” talking to a chatbot as they do a real person. While these tools can provide comfort, they also risk deepening isolation if they replace authentic, reciprocal relationships with peers, teachers, and family.

The tension teachers face

Even though teachers understand the value of connectedness and holistic development, the current education climate often pushes them in the opposite direction. Many systems are doubling down on narrow measures of success, with a strong emphasis on literacy, numeracy, and a “knowledge-rich” curriculum. These goals matter, but when they dominate reporting requirements and accountability frameworks, they marginalise the relational and creative work that underpins deep learning and wellbeing.

This narrowing of focus coincides with the rollback of programmes that explicitly foster equity and inclusion. When support for gender-diverse students is withdrawn, when anti-racism education is defunded, and when cultural competence is dismissed as “ideological,” the result is more than policy change – it is a clear signal to students that their sense of belonging is conditional. For learners already on the margins, this erodes connectedness and hope at the very time they need it most.

What schools can do

Despite these pressures, schools are uniquely placed to counter disconnection. This doesn’t require yet another initiative; it’s about integrating connection-building into everyday practice.

Infuse connection into curriculum.

Design literacy, numeracy, and subject content around authentic issues students care about. A statistics lesson on local environmental data, for example, can also contribute to a community project.

Defend and deepen inclusive practices.

Schools can continue to champion cultural competence, equity initiatives, and support for gender-diverse and marginalised students, even when political headwinds blow the other way. These aren’t “extras” – they are vital to students’ wellbeing and achievement.

Foster agency and autonomy.

As Anderson and Winthrop note, students engage more deeply when they can make meaningful choices. Build opportunities for student voice, interest-driven projects, and self-directed learning into existing lessons.

Create opportunities for meaningful contribution.

Community service, mentoring, sustainability projects, and problem-solving challenges help students feel their work matters.

Prioritise relationships.

Regular check-ins, circles, and informal conversations help students feel seen and heard, reinforcing the human connection that many young people are missing.

Teach hope explicitly.

Use Snyder’s Hope Theory to show students how to break down big goals into smaller steps (pathways thinking) and build agency by celebrating progress.

Reconnect with the natural world.

Outdoor experiences – gardening, conservation projects, field trips – help students find perspective and peace.

A call to policymakers

For this work to flourish, system leaders must support a broader vision of education. Narrowing the definition of success to academic achievement only is a false economy. Students cannot thrive academically if they feel disconnected, hopeless, or unseen.

Likewise, dismantling equity and inclusion programmes undermines both wellbeing and academic achievement. Students need schools where they are valued, their identities are respected, and they can see a secure future for themselves. Policy settings that make certain students feel less safe or less welcome directly harm learning outcomes for everyone.

We need accountability and resourcing structures that give schools permission – and the time – to focus on holistic development alongside academic achievement. This isn’t about lowering standards; it’s about recognising that connected, purposeful students are far more likely to succeed in literacy, numeracy, and life beyond school.

A collective responsibility

The challenge of disconnection is too large for schools and educators to solve alone, but they can be a powerful catalyst for change. By intentionally fostering belonging, purpose, and pathways to the future, teachers can help young people rediscover hope.

In a world where so many young people feel powerless, each action to connect them—to each other, to their communities, and to meaningful futures—can light the way forward.

So the question is; “How can we, as educators and policymakers, integrate connection-building into the work we’re already asked to do – rather than seeing it as something extra? What would change if we measured success by the hope and connectedness students carry into the future, as well as by their test scores?”