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Area of study: Belonging

This area of study requires students to explore the ways in which the concept of belonging is represented in and through texts. Perceptions and ideas of belonging, or of not belonging, vary. These perceptions are shaped within personal, cultural, historical and social contexts. A sense of belonging can emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world. Within this area of study, students may consider aspects of belonging in terms of experiences and notions of identity, relationships, acceptance and understanding. Belonging is a connectedness to people, culture, place or things. Themes of Belonging Different types of belonging: Social, economic, political, religious, cultural & racial. The desire to belong provides opportunities for people to extend and challenge themselves emotionally. Belonging/ not belonging provides opportunities for people to extend and challenge themselves intellectually. Belonging allows people to gain new insights about themselves. Belonging allows people to gain new insights about the world. The need to belong provides opportunities for people to respond to challenges. Belonging/ not belonging impacts on people in a variety of ways. The choice to belong/not belong involves obstacles. The barriers in belonging have the power to challenge our thinking. Perceptions of belonging/ not belonging involve the exploration of self. The way in which the composer uses language influences our beliefs and understanding of the concept of belonging. The way we use language to express our ideas about belonging can influence the perceptions of our audience. Belonging is one of the more basic needs of Maslows Hierarchy, just above health and safety. We are a tribal species. Example Thesiss: Our life experiences teach us that when you stop trying to belong, you realise that you have always belonged. We search for a place to belong, not realising that it is our perceptions and attitudes, and not the place, which allow us to belong. When your cultural identity is marginalised, you can feel dislocated and displaced, and believe that you do not belong to your culture or the dominant culture. Our search for who we are is fuelled by a need to find a place in the world where we belong. The need to belong to a group or community shapes our behaviours, attitudes and actions. An individual has the potential to damage relationships and ensure that others do not belong. When humanity experiences a strong (spiritual) connection to a place, the notion of belonging is strengthened and enriched. When our relationship with a place is shaped by a narrow and biased view of the world, our notion of Belonging can be questionable. The basic human need to be accepted and belong can cloud our judgments and direct our actions. When we begin to understand the forces that drive us to belong, we develop empathy for others and personal insight.

2 Synonyms of Belonging Positive connotations: Affiliation Attachment Connection Inclusion Rapport Fellowship Antonyms of Belonging - Negative connotations: Alienation Disconnection Separation Apart Isolation Exclusion Exile

Closeness Union Possession Kinship Ownership Membership Outcast Segregation Antipathy Insecurity Ostracism Disaffection Estrangement

Aspects of belonging: Belonging seems to be an inner drive or need that is biologically imprinted into people. It gives us a sense of security and a place in the world that helps shape out identity. The media has exploited belonging across all age groups. Not only does advertising sell us products designed to make us feel we will belong more effectively but the shows we watch also work with this concept. Some people choose not to belong to make a statement and be individuals, as a protest against some perceived issue with the world, or the family or school or community they live in. Rebels have often become seen as their own group that people choose to belong to. Some people are defined by uniforms or possessions that allow them to belong to a particular group. Quotes about belonging - I think the themes of belonging and parentage and love are obviously universal Christopher Eccleston. - As you grow, you develop the ideal of where your true belonging could be the place, the home, the partner, and the work. You seldom achieve all the elements of the ideal, but it travels with you as the criterion and standard of what true belonging could be. John ODonohue. - By building relations we create a source of love and personal pride and belonging that makes living in a chaotic world easier. Susan Lieberman. - in contrast to how a child belongs in the world, adult belonging is never as natural, innocent, or playful. Adult belonging has to be chose, received, and renewed. It is a lifetimes work. John ODonohue.

Texts and Society Into the World

Students will explore a variety of texts that deal with aspects of growing up and transitions into new phases of an individuals life. People encounter different ways by which they enter new stages of experience that bring about growth and change. Students will respond to and compose a range of texts that demonstrate the different pathways into new experiences that extend their existing world. They will examine the features of texts that show the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs relating to individuals who have ventured into new worlds and experiences.

The Simple Gift Steven Herrick

Within a contemporary Australian setting, this text explores a range of issues of wide interest and appeal including relationships, growing up, grief, independence, personal values and social equity. As a free verse novel written from the perspective of different characters, the text is innovative and demonstrates that poetry can be accessible, relevant and compelling as a medium for modern story telling. The characters are engaging and believable and deal with issues that are relevant to adolescents. The story is optimistic and affirms the value and power of generosity, humanity and love. The free verse is written in simple, accessible language that is powerful in developing characterisation and plot and promoting empathy and reader involvement. The text allows for a consideration of how the conventions of narrative can be played with to compose stories to engage the reader. The story is easy to read yet has depth and complexity in the engaging characters with themes. Synopsis Weary of his life with his alcoholic, abusive father, sixteen-year-old Billy packs a few belongings and hits the road, hoping for something better than what he left behind. He finds a home in an abandoned freight train outside a small town, where he falls in love with rich, restless Caitlin and befriends a fellow train resident, "Old Bill," who slowly reveals a tragic past. When Billy is given a gift that changes everything, he learns not only to how forge his own path in life, but the real meaning of family. Purpose: According to the authors website, Herrick feels that young people are often marginalised, and he wrote the simple gift to explore how youth can positively influence adults. Herrick suggests that a great deal can be learned from adolescents when they are accepted for whom they are, and when their world is embraced. Target Audience: The story appeals primarily to young adults. The language is accessible and the ideas of identity and disengagement are relevant to teenage experiences. Setting: Nowheresville: This is where Billy lived with his abusive father. He went to Wentworth high school in the suburbs, and enjoyed reading at Westfield Creek while playing truant from school. Bendarat: - The town is surrounded by apple and pear orchards, and was once the railway hub of the southwest. Billy calls it a perfect town. - Old Bill describes the town when it was thriving: railway workers roamed the streets, and the town was rich, with pubs on every corner. The building of a factory for loading wheat outside the town lead to the towns demise.

4 The Bendarat River is cold, clear and deep. There is a weir which causes the water to fall in whirlpools over the rocks, bubbling and making more noise/than the cockatoos. Billy calls the river the Bendarat Laundry as it is where he swims and washes his clothes. Wellington Road: - Old Bills house on Wellington Road has been empty since Old Bills wife died, and he has not entered the house since. However, he does return there to sit in the backyard. - He helps Billy by offering him the house as a place to stay, giving him a home. The house is white timber, with a shed and a verandah. Old Bill planted the fir trees along the back fence when he first moved into the house. - Billy and Caitlin feel a sense of belonging in the house as they clean, cook and dance together. Themes relating to Belonging:

The meaning of home

Billy longs to find a place he can call home. He decides to run away from the oppressive and uncaring environment presided over by his father. For Billy, home is not about where you live or where you go about your daily business, but it is about the people you spend your time with. Billy feels as comfortable in the carriage at the freight yard as he does swimming in the Bandarat River. Through his relationship with Caitlin, Billy also begins to understand what it means to care for another person unconditionally, and learns the true value of belonging. He realises that relationships are about giving and receiving, and this affects the way he conducts himself in the community, so when he considers stealing a ring he would like to give to Caitlin, he reconsiders when he thinks about the consequences. Billy realises that stealing the ring would jeopardise his chance of staying in Benderat and therefore destroy his relationship with Caitlin whom he values. He feels a sense of home in Benderat because he has stability and plans for the future. When he is given the key to Old Bills home, he waits for Caitlin to enter the house with him, symbolically representing that he wishes to begin a new stage in his life with her, and that with her he feels at home.

Shared experiences
Belonging is represented in the simple gift through the experiences the characters share with one another. Despite Caitlins abhorrence of cooking, she prepares a meal for Billy and Old Bill. During their meal, they sit on the floor near the fire. Billy and Caitlin talk abut their lives and plans for the future, while Old Bill listens quietly. Old Bill reflects that he is thankful for their simple gift of friendship, and wonders how he can repay them. Old Bills acknowledgment of Billys friendship is important, because he realises that he too can care for other people again. He has been living a solitarty life, drinking himself into oblivion, and has not given of himself to anyone, or cared for others. His determination to help Billy and Caitlin in any way he can shows that he wants to belong in the world he previously rejected. When he gives the key to his home to Billy, he is offering Billy the happiness he once shared with his own family. He accepts that he can no longer belong to a family in this way, but is proud to give Billy and Caitlin the opportunity to enjoy what was once special in his own life.

Acknowledging simple pleasures

For Old Bill, laughter heals the wounds caused by the pain of the past. Laughter has been missing from his life for some time. The devastation and heartbreak that Old Bill experiences when he lost his daughter and wife led to his disengagement with society. He no longer wanted to live in his home without his family, and rejected all aspects of his life that he associated with his family and his sense of belonging.

5 Instead, he became an alcoholic, gave up working, and moved into a carriage in the freight yard away from society. Through Old Bills relationship with Billy, however, he begins to acknowledge the simple pleasures in life, such as talking with friends, laughing and sharing a meal. Old Bill begins to relax in Billys company. When Billy and Old Bill go down to the river Old Bill dives in and his laugh becomes real, a deep belly roar, conveying an image of happiness and friendship. The laughter is a therapeutic aid, part of Old Bills transformation from isolation to belonging in the world.

Techniques: - Free verse poem - Told from the perspectives of the three main characters: Billy, the sixteen-year-old runaway; Caitlin, a girl from a wealthy family who forms a genuine relationship with Billy; Old Bill, a homeless alcoholic. The first person narrative recount, Allows the responder to directly engage with each of these characters; There is no intermediary in the form of a narrator to direct interpretation. Yet, there is a variety of modes of delivery within the poems delivered by each character to enhance the responders awareness of the impact of events on a characters sense of belonging. Flashbacks, such as those used by Billy on p. 15, highlight a ten year olds sense of isolation which was prompted by an abusive father. The memories shared by Old Bill on p. 96, capture his utter desolation at the loss of firstly his only daughter and then his wife. Subtext, where so much more is implied than the words spoken, creates a parallel narrative, by giving voice to a characters unspoken reactions. Billys sense of alienation is so entrenched by his fathers repeated mistreatment, that he misreads the attempts by the librarian, Irenes, attempts to provide him with physical security within the sanctuary of the library, p. 25. Notes, Such as the farewell note to Billys father on the opening page, this powerfully summarises Billys disconnection from his father. The note itemising the etymology of Caitlins name on p.40 and Billys business card on p.43, evocatively portray Billys tentative overtures to establish a connection with Caitlin. The note form allows him to express his innermost cravings to belong in a relationship, which he would have found difficult to verbalise at that point. Direct speech/conversation Such as Old Bills regrets on p. 109, which powerfully capture the frantic speed of life, which steals adults from the valuable family moments that foster belonging. Characterisation:

Old Bill:
Beginning, Old Bill is an alcoholic living alone in a train carriage; He has withdrawn from society; He doesnt want any help, wants to be left alone; He doesnt want to remember the deaths of his wife and daughter. End, No longer drinks alcohol; He values the friendship he has with Billy and Caitlin; He has faced up to the reality of his wife and daughters death; He is proud of Billy; He plans to live his daughters dream of visiting the Great Barrier Reef. Factors that have caused change,

6 His friendship with Billy and Caitlin caused him to reflect on his life. He decided to take his own advice which he had offered to Billy and slowly came to accept his past, as he does, he finds new things to look forward to. Quotes: I tell him to piss off, again, but he ignores me now. (pg.76) With nothing youre rich. Youve got no decisions, no choice and no worry. (pg.81) My hands still shake from the drink, or lack of it. (pg.175) I hadnt thought of anything but how pleasant it was to sit with these people and to talk with them. (pg.125)

Billy:
Beginning, He is a bitter and angry teenager who vandalises others property; doesnt trust others; is homeless, living in a train carriage, eats leftovers at McDonalds. End, Lives with Caitlin at Old Bills home; has formed deep friendships with Old Bill and Caitlin; he values friendships and cares for others and helps them because they need it; shows respect for Old Bill. Factors that have caused change, Billys relationships with people in Bendarat are positive. These positive relationships help him to learn love and trust. Quotes: It was like falling headlong into the clear waters of the Bendarat River... we could float safe for a lifetime, lost, and hoping never to be found. (Making Love Billy, pg.127) I help Old Bill because of Ernie and Irene and their friendliness... I help for no reason other than he needs it. (Need Billy, pg.85) I wash my clothes and myself in one soapy afternoon... Every second day I came here to Bendarat laundry to wash the world away. (Bendarat River Billy, pg. 57) ... and I looked at my hands, the hands of a worker, tomato red and raw. (My hands Billy, pg.78)

Caitlin:
Beginning, Is unhappy living at home with her parents; she works at McDonalds to earn money so she can leave home and pursue her own life; she dislikes her parents wealth and the material possessions she has; she hides her relationship with billy from her parents. End, Forms deep friendships with Billy and Old Bill; she values friendship above money; she leaves home and moves in with Billy; she tells her parents about her relationship with Billy. Factors that have caused change, Caitlins strong character is seen on her rejection of her parents values. Her relationship with Billy gives her the opportunity she has been seeking to leave home. Because of the strength and genuine love in their relationship, she is able to face her parents and tell them the truth about her and Billy. Quotes: I read this and felt something in my stomach, a slight ache, a twinge, and knew it was hunger but not the hunger for food. (Hunger Caitlin, pg.40) I think about boys... and what wed do if we had the chance. Pure fantasy really. Nothing wrong with that, but nothing real about it either. (Caitlin, pg.44) ...so I can leave home... thats why I work at McDonalds and mop floors. (Too rich Caitlin, pg.36)

7 Billy seemed please... and as he talked, I understood what I had seen this morning, and I realised that Billy was 16 years old and already a man, and I was 17, nearly 18, and still a schoolgirl. (A man Caitlin, pg.120) Related thesis statements: An individuals upbringing creates a powerful formative influence over the creation of a sense of belonging. (Consider Billys physical and emotional bullying at the hands of a dysfunctional parent. Contrast this with Caitlins ironic emptiness in the midst of the material wealth promoted by her father.) Physical security nurtures notions of belonging. (Reflect on Carriage 1864, Billys safe cave. In contrast, Caitlin cant wait to escape her wealthy home and hence the controlling influence of her father, while Old Bill was afraid to face the ghosts of his home, preferring to be homeless.) Genuine relationships anchor individuals in identity, worth and connection. (Examine the growing recognition between Billy and Old Billy, and Billy and Caitlin. How does the growth in understanding and concern affect each characters sense of worth and belonging?) The rules of society have bearing on an individuals potential to belong. (Think over the social judgements made of Billy by the students on the yellow bus; Caitlins disgust at her socialised reaction to dismissively run when she watches Billy sharing breakfast with an old hobo; and Old Bills faltering return to social acceptance as he walks the streets and makes small talk with locals about the weather, as he attempts to busy himself with normal behaviours, in order to withstand the allure of alcohol and pubs.) It is evident that a need for belonging is crucial for their lives to make sense. People seek belonging to find an identity, to form relationships, and to learn acceptance and understanding. That context influences the experiences, perspectives and understanding of belonging, or not belonging Individuals who belong or do not belong can enrich or challenge a community. Belonging is not a set list that must be completed, but everyones idea of belonging is different and involves a deeper emotional sense of fulfilment and connection made with yourself, the relationships you have and with the larger world. Related Texts:

Marking Time - Mini Series, John Doyle, 2003

Hal belongs to the small country town of Brackley and he takes a year off after high school and he falls in love with Randa, a 17-year-old Afghani asylum seeker attending the local high school. Similarities: - Randa and Hassan flee Afghanistan from the Taliban and Billy leaves his hometown to get away from a dull town and a violent father. They both arrive in unknown towns and try to fit in whilst also keeping a low profile. - Hal tries to help Randa and her family while Billy helps Old Bill. - Both of the two protagonists fall in love with a girl from a completely different background from themselves - Caitlin from a wealthy background, and Randa an Afghanistan refugee. - Just like Randa and Hassan (for being refugees), Billy and Old Bill (for being hobos) are also excluded from the majority of society. - The two texts are different as in the end Billy finds that he belongs in Bendarat with Caitlin and Hal realises that he no longer belongs in Brackley but belongs with Randa and wherever she is. - In both texts, they are set during recent times in small Australian country towns. - There is much more social and political context evident in Marking Time and is set in 2000 and 2001; When the Olympics created a shared sense of unification in Australia, and also

8 during the anti-refugee hysteria and the September 11 terrorist attacks. This strong and influencing context affects the whole town of Brackley. The reactions of the inhabitants towards the refugees significantly change the connection and respect Hal has for his hometown. He realises that he no longer belongs in Brackley or with his simple and party loving group of friends. Differences: - Hal, unlike Billy, doesnt intentionally seek for a new sense of belonging. - His sense of Belonging is challenged when he falls in love with the refugee, Randa and he learns to accept a new culture and learns and empathises with the refugees pasts. - Also Individuals who belong or do not belong can enrich or challenge a community. This can be done by showing compassion, respect, friendship and by lending a helping hand. Contrasting this idea, if you do not belong and are different it can challenge and confuse a character or community, therefore showing its true colours. - In Marking Time, the presence of the refugees creates tension in Brackley, especially after the twin tower bombings. The feelings of extreme hatred and dislike towards them are shown in a scene where Randas house is intentionally burnt down. - The town members are separated by different views, values and beliefs. For Hal, he also becomes challenged about his views of what it is to be Australian, where things like giving everyone a fair go do not fit in respect to the way they are reacting with the refugees. Common technique Narration: In the simple gift, Old Bill, Billy and Caitlin all are narrator at different times, And Hal does direct narration to the camera throughout his series. It immerses the audience in the storyline through Hal and Billys eyes, giving the camera a way of being a player and an observer so that the viewer can feel more like the protagonist.

Article in the Medical Journal of Australia - What boys need: a sense of belonging, William J Phillips, 2006.
A General Practitioner gives his opinion that boys need a sense of belonging. Idea: That the feeling of belonging results from many things, including connections with parents and families, and adult support for independence and competency. This article explains that humans are genetically programmed to bond with others. It then goes on to give the opinion of the composer on his idea of what boys need. He tells us that boys need a father or male role models/teacher, they need to be valued by their families and they need peers that they feel close to. He then explains that they need touch, risk, to be taught how to cope with life, discipline, and reassurance about their sexuality. Similarities: - That boys need a father relates as Billy has a father and although it is not a good relationship he still is aware of who he is, how they are different, and can see the flaws in his father and improve on himself. - Billy also forms relationships with adult males and finds caring male role models such as Ernie, and Old Bill as a friend. - Billy forms a relationship with Caitlin which fulfils his needs for touch, reassurance of his sexuality, and to feel valued. - Boys need risk - He takes many risks on his journey to Belong and teaches himself to cope with the harsh things in life. - He also develops a proud masculinity by learning integrity, responsibility, care and protectiveness. The simple gift, contrasts this article as Billy does not fulfil all of the 10 points but successfully achieves a sense of Belonging in Bendarat, and forms relationships with Caitlin and Old Bill. The idea that the feeling of belonging results from many things, including connections with parents and families, and adult support for independence and competency is therefore true in the sense of the simple gift where Billy also gains adult support for independence from the compassionate characters Ernie, Irene, and Old Bill.

9 The needs in this article are also shown in Marking Time - represented through the character of Hal who successfully achieves each point throughout the film and therefore successfully transforms from an adolescent to man and is finally competent to go further out of his small and safe town and into the world alone. It finishes that they need a proud masculinity and then it summarizes and critically suggests that society needs to re-examine its values. But is our society too materialistic to heed it? Belonging Essay The Simple Gift. Our sense of belonging and our perceptions of connectedness form the very foundation of self-image and self-esteem. Introduction: Through the integrated analysis of the prescribed text, The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick, and the two chosen texts, Marking Time a mini series which was shown on television written by John Doyle, and an article from a medical journal entitled What boys need a sense of belonging by William J Phillips; Thesis: the ideas that people seek belonging to find an identity, form relationships, and to learn acceptance and understanding; that context influences the experiences, perspectives and understanding of belonging, or not belonging; and that individuals who belong or not belong can enrich or challenge a community show that our sense of belonging and our perceptions of connectedness form the very foundation of self-image and self-esteem. People seek belonging to find an identity, relationships, and to learn acceptance and understanding. Billys home life provoked his withdrawal, gains quality relationships, he finds As the medical journal by William J.Phillips states: That boys need a father or an somewhere he can fit in and feel comfortable with, somewhere he can call home. equivalent male role model and That boys need peers they can relate to thus stating this need for relationships. Billys relationship with his violent father and his dissatisfaction in Nowheresville was a barrier in allowing Billy to belong as his discontentment here led to his choice to not belong and thus caused his inevitable search for a sense of belonging. Billy learns that there are men like Ernie, and there are other men, men like [his] dad. The medical journal explains that explains that even if the quality of fathering the boy experiences is poor, a boy deserves to know who his father is, and to be helped to understand that what he does with his genetic heritage is ultimately his own choice.

Practice essays:

10 Hal doesnt intentionally seek for a new sense of belonging but it is challenged when

he falls in love with Randa; he learns to accept a new culture and learns about her past, begins to understand the rest of the asylum seekers. 1. Hall realises that he no longer belongs where his childhood memories are and he Narration Technique; of Billy, Old Bill and Caitlin, and Hal from Marking Time. leaves to seek Randa and somewhere he belongs in the wider world. Connects the audience to the protagonists and their deep and personal thoughts and feeling that may not be seen simply by their actions and reactions e.g. Caitlin being frightened by seeing Billy and Old Bill sharing breakfast. Immerses the audience in the storyline, giving the camera a way of being a player and observer. The medical journal/article explains that humans are genetically programmed to bond with others. It then goes on to give the opinion of the composer on his idea of what boys need. He tells us that boys need a father or male role models/teacher, they need to be valued by their families and they need peers that they feel close to. He then explains that they need touch, risk, to be taught how to cope with life, discipline, and reassurance about their sexuality. The idea that context influences the experiences, perspectives and understanding of belonging, or not belonging. Their experiences make their needs and reactions and perceptions of belonging different. Both are set during recent times in small Australian country towns. Marking Time: social and political context = September 11 attacks = racist Brackely

against the refugee, climaxes at the intentional burning of Randas house. Thus he realises he no longer belongs, but belongs with Randa. He matures and through the challenges to belong he gains knowledge about himself and he wider world. Caitlin seeks belonging to find an individual identity away from her materialistic and rich family and school life, as well forming a deep connection with Billy which satisfies her hunger, she learns that she can be independent and not to judge a book by its cover. I read this and felt something in my stomach, a slight ache, a twinge, and knew it was hunger but not the hunger for food. Thus her belonging, her experiences and knowledge gained is different to Billy, who seeks to find security and safety, quality relationships, and he learns that home is not about the place but the relationships formed which is why he didnt belong in Nowheresville with his father.

11 It is shown that Billy belongs in Bendarat as Old Bill gives him the key to his old

house, and he waits for Caitlin to open the door symbolising that he feels at home when he is with her. The death of Old Bills daughter and wife caused his withdrawal from society. He had strong connection and relationship with his wife and daughter, Jessie, but after Jesse fell out of a tree and his wife died in a car accident from drink driving it caused Old Bills withdrawal from society. My sweet lovely Jessie, fell and I fell with her and Ive been falling ever since. pub, this beer, these clothes, this is where I landed. Individuals who belong or do not belong can enrich or challenge a community. Enrichment can be through showing compassion, respect, friendship, and lending a helping hand = Ernie and Irene = temporary state of comfort and safety = help Billy develop his sense of belonging in Bendarat. Billy extends the hand of friendship and help to Old Bill, learnt the value of compassion through Ernie and Irene, and Caitlin which results in deeply fulfilling relationships. Old Bills interaction with Billy, he stops the drink and begins to socialising and even talk about the weather on occasions with the locals. Billy helped Old Bills move back into society through situations which includes Billys persistence in bringing Old Bill a bowl of cereal and coffee each morning despite Old Bills attempts to tell him to piss off, and working at the cannery together. Those who do not belong can challenge and confuse a character or community, showing its true colours. = Refugees from Marking Time; the racism shown and burning down of Randas house challenges Hals views of what it is to be Australian, and he rejects the values of his community and thus becomes empowered to seek his sense of belonging in the wider world and thus follows Randa when she is deported. Compassion or alienation can give so much meaning and have the ability to change someones life. Conclusion: Belonging is not a set list that must include a connection to people, places, objects and to the wider world, but everyones idea of belonging is different but it involves a deeper emotional sense of fulfillment and connection made with yourself, the relationships you have, and with the wider world, but this is different for each person depending on their needs and life experiences, thus forming the foundation of an individuals self-image and self-esteem. And this

Others:

12 A sense of belonging is often caused by subtle, everyday connections and links to place, people and things. Our sense of belonging relies on the quality of relationships

How do your texts deal with choices not to belong or barriers which prevent belonging? What do you think are the most powerful influences that impact on an individuals sense of belonging?