Wellbeing is a team sport

When one person in a team is having a hard week, everyone feels it. And when a team has a great culture, even the players who are struggling get carried along. Wellbeing isn't only something inside you. It lives between people, in the places you share and the habits your group has.

Belonging matters

Feeling that you belong, that people notice when you are missing and are glad when you turn up, is one of the strongest protectors of wellbeing for young people. In te ao Māori this is part of whanaungatanga: relationships built through shared experience. A class or team where everyone belongs is a healthier place for everyone in it.

The Five Ways to Wellbeing

New Zealand's Mental Health Foundation shares five evidence-based actions that build wellbeing. They are just as useful for groups as for individuals.

Group norms are powerful

A norm is 'what people like us usually do'. If everyone in a team warms up, new players warm up too. If people usually laugh at someone who tries something new, others stop trying. Changing a norm can help more people than changing one person's habits, which is why group initiatives can be so effective.

Finding a real need

The best initiatives start with listening. An anonymous survey, careful observation and conversations with the people involved tell you what the group actually needs, which may be different from what you assumed. Look underneath the problem you can see for the causes you can change.