As thought leaders and practitioners for over a decade, Beyond Differences® pioneered the creation of nationwide programs that equip middle school communities with activities and curricula for Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
National Programs
No One Eats Alone®
Know Your Classmates®
Be Kind Online®
Secret to our Success
Youth Leadership Development
National Teen Board
Professional Development for Educators
Events & News
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Supporting Dallas Educators & Building Community – A Beyond Differences Initiative
Thanks to generous funding from the All Points North Foundation and the Louis L. Borick Foundation, Beyond Differences® launched its Dallas Educator Cohort in the Fall of 2022. As we continue to build on our relationships in Dallas and grow our Dallas Cohort, we look...
Four Ways to Support Youth After the Monterey Park Crisis
Following a crisis, educators should be prepared for additional trauma, trigger responses and questions coming into your classrooms the following morning. It is not unusual for students to act out, draw inward, and display displaced emotion in reaction to the news...
No One Eats Alone® Focuses on Empathy to Build Belonging in Schools
New Curriculum Explores Immigrant and Refugee Challenges and Combatting AAPI Hate National No One Eats Alone® Day is Friday, February 17, but at Beyond Differences®, we believe that every day is No One Eats Alone Day. Why? Because building a culture of belonging makes...
(1994 – 2009)
Our Inspiration
Beyond Differences® was created in memory of Lili Rachel Smith. She endured the pain of social isolation and feeling different.
Lili is the heart and guiding light of the organization.
Our Videos
Student Action Days
Join Beyond Differences® by celebrating three Student Action Days that promote Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), help to end social isolation and create a culture of inclusion at your school!
Know Your Classmates® Day
Designed to explore youth identity and belonging + help students embrace diversity, and help students speak honestly about their feelings. Now includes teen created lessons on How to be An Ally, Diverse Expressions of Gender, Recognizing Bias, and Anti Racism + National Stand Up for Asian American Youth Campaign materials. (FALL)
No One Eats Alone® Day
Youth learn to make new friends at lunch beyond their existing peer groups through community-building activities that help them get to know one another and include students who are being left out. (WINTER)
Be Kind Online® Day
Focused on creating inclusive communities online and ending social isolation in digital spaces. Students learn how to stand up to hateful behaviors, positive and negative aspects of screen time, social media’s effect on emotions and how to regulate those feelings, how to build self-confidence online and how to build your future online. (SPRING)
