The U.S. Surgeon General has officially declared loneliness a national epidemic, one that is more deadly than smoking, obesity and addiction. It is now estimated that living with a lack of social connection increases a person's risk of early death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day!

But there's a cure available - connection - and it can be administered in as little as seven seconds. On this episode of Outliers in Education, we speak with a pair of connection crusaders from the non-profit, Only7Seconds. Learn from Executive Director Luke Wall and recently retired superintendent Eric Driessen (from one of the outlier districts identified in CEE's Outliers Study) about how something as simple as a text message can alter the course of a young life and sometimes even save lives.

Established in 2019, Only7Seconds is taking the epidemic of youth loneliness head on through extensive outreach programs, podcasts, video series and their unique Connection Curriculum designed to equip, empower and inspire teachers and students to create the connections that can literally save their lives.

You can find out more about Only7Seconds at:
only7seconds.com 

Also from Only7Seconds:

• I Know Lonely Project - Videos, podcasts and written stories
• Connection Curriculum - A toolkit to inspire youth to make intentional connections

"Outliers in Education" is a project of CEE, The Center for Educational Effectiveness. Find out more at effectiveness.org.

Produced by Jamie Howell at Howell at the Moon Productions.