Belonging or Mattering? — Feb. 28, 2024
What is the difference between belonging and mattering? And how can this inform our work around DEI efforts? In the 2023 book authors Cook-Sather, Felten, Stewart & Weston write, “The rhetoric of belonging can be alienating to students, particularly students with historically marginalized identities, who wonder whether they do – or want to – fit into a community. Scholarship on belonging may misinterpret feelings of marginalization among some students, miss opportunities to support their thriving, and limit student agency. Mattering, a concept related to but distinct from belonging, focuses on people feeling valued by others in a shared context.”
In a from Elon University, the following is what students said made them feel that they matter:
● Someone takes me seriously.
● I have a voice.
● Someone is invested in me.
In September 2023 on, Suzanne Degges-White shared these thoughts, “Belonging and mattering are two different things. Think about how we use the word, belonging. My possessions are my belongings, but not all of my possessions really matter to me. I belong to the team, but do my contributions really matter? Mattering is nurtured in settings in which personal well-being, relational well-being, and communal well-being are all valued equally. Mattering is the product of two distinct processes at play: feeling valued by others and feeling that you add value to the group. It’s where accountability arises because we know our contributions to the group make a difference.”
What do you think about belonging compared to mattering? How can we foster opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to feel valued, invested in, and have a voice - or in short, to matter?
Best,
CEAE JEDI Committee