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Motives of Present Day Affinity Groups
By: Isabella Sanchez
Date: 01/17/2025
APISU student union with their new sweatshirts
“Wave One is released, remember to walk to your FLEX location!” This announcement echoes through the halls of Cal Young Middle School as students in ‘Wave One’ make their way out of their Advisory classrooms. Some head straight for enrichments or to their supports, while others walk into the classroom where their Affinity Group is meeting.
Affinity Groups have become a common establishment within schools and communities alike. In the article The Proven Impact of Affinity Groups by Drisana Hughes (a campaign strategist and policy professional at Harvard University), it states that these groups are formed by “people with a shared background or identity characteristic” and “meet regularly to engage in activities or discussion.”
Affinity Groups help to bring people of a common interest or cultural background together. When I asked our very own Marcus Reed (a counselor and one of the hosts of the Black Student Union at Cal Young) what BSU does to build camaraderie in the group he said, “we talk about things going on around the school every day, we talk about their home life things like highs and lows of the week; we talk about field trips, eat snacks…we'll do like a Blooket…and also we team up with other Affinity groups as well to work on school wide campaigns.”
The Ontario Principals Council: Affinity Group FAQ explains that although some may say that Affinity Groups are exclusive and segregate society, “These groups make them (the members of the group) feel more visible and more included in our community and in doing so, enhance our commitment to inclusivity.” When I asked John Sanchez (a member of the Cal Young Latinx Student Union) what he thought about Affinity Groups “segregating society” he said that, “It is not segregating anybody. It's a way for people with a certain heritage to connect with others of the same heritage.”
Affinity Groups even get the opportunity to go on field trips! Sometimes all of the Affinity groups go together and other times they go individually. John spoke of one such occasion where he went on a fun trip to a University of Oregon women's basketball game with all of the Affinity groups. Marcus also talked about BSU’s plans to go on a field trip to Senator Manning in Salem and possibly the movies later on in the year!
All over the world, Affinity groups have helped people find a place where they can relate to others and build valuable relationships with their peers through engaging activities and conversations. These groups continue to increase our world’s inclusivity and remind people that there is always a group for them, they just have to find it.
Sources:
https://calyoung.4j.lane.edu/33659_2
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