Schools can be lonely places for kids struggling to forge friendships and hard for their parents too, so Sarah Chapman created Outkast Kidz with more than a hundred people joining its Facebook group on day one.
Sarah says it was one of her “crazy ideas” that was prompted by her son Tyler’s experience growing up, where going to school each day was a battle and he often pretended he was sick to escape.
Outkast Kidz was formed to connect kids who are “outcast” at school, homeschooled, or have left school and are looking for friendships. The group includes parents, and the first get-together was held at Broadgreen Gardens last Sunday over a shared lunch and activities.
Already, the group has supporters to help organise, security measures in place like contacts and allergy information, anti-bullying rules, plus some sponsorship to help cover the costs of running events. Sarah plans a meet and greet once a month at different locations and then a fun event in-between.
She says it can be tough for some kids to make friends and she thinks it is more common than many people realise. For whatever reason, some kids are not included and are lonely, desperately seeking friendships.
“They’re not invited to the birthday parties, or they have a birthday party and kids don’t show.”
The group is for 13 to 17-year-olds which she says is an important stage for making friends, or parents who have a child in that age bracket.
“They’re at an age they need friends around their own age. They’re often the ones that stick around for life.”
She chose the name Outkast Kidz because she says that is what it feels like for many kids and they should know that its alright to be themselves.
“They need to know it’s okay; at Outkast Kidz it’s okay. You can be outcast at school and Tyler and I have openly talked about it and we’ve always talked about it being okay to be unique.”
She says many parents are also looking for ways to make friends, especially if they are new to town or solo parents looking for adult interaction, so the group is also aimed at bringing them together if they have a child in the age group. Many of the replies to her Facebook post last week had younger children, but Sarah says the younger age group would require adult supervision and it would alter the format for the group, so that probably needs to be a separate group.
On the calendar for Outkast Kidz are events such as haystacking at Stonehurst Farm, a Rabbit Island barbeque, the Brook Sanctuary walk, bowling and movies.
Supporter Ben Max, who is helping organise the group and events, says the group is aimed at creating a space for kids to make friends in an environment that is less intimidating than school.
“It’s a place to be themselves and meet someone in common.”
To contact the group email outkastkidz2024@gmail.com
