The Importance Of Friendship

Friendship: we hear about this all the time, particularly when we start out in school from a young age. It is good to have friends – people to play with, to have shared interests with, to share laughter and joy with. It is, however, something that is taken for granted – and also something that some people find more challenging than others.

The International Day Of Friendship

The United Nations (UN) set up the International Day of Friendship back in 2011 – this year is its 14th anniversary and it takes place annually on 30th July. The UN’s idea is that this special day helps people to remember the importance of solidarity – of supporting each other. The day raises the profile of friendship between people, countries, cultures and individuals to help ‘build bridges’ and reduce conflict: something, I hope you agree, that is of great importance and significance in our modern world. There is a great focus on involving young people, particularly because they will be the future leaders – and can help shape how things develop.

So, what could you do to get involved? Well, an obvious activity is to make friendship bracelets, or bands, and give them to friends. This is nothing new – but it is a fun, visual reminder of what the day stands for. If you prefer to work with words, you could have a go at an acrostic poem – write ‘Friendship’ vertically down the page and think of a line for each of the 10 letters. You could make small gifts to give to people – or, if you are feeling active, take part in a 5k fun run. There are various events set up in different places around the world to raise the profile of this important day.

The International Day of Friendship doesn’t mean you have to set out on the day to make lots of new friends – it is more about remembering what friendship it and why it is important. This can be on a small scale – or something bigger, such as establishing a link with someone in a different country. The bottom line is that friendship is important – so whatever part you play is worth celebrating.