You may have seen the colorful hoodies around school or maybe you saw the latest Quaranteen’s instagram post. Quaranteens is a program started by two of our own MLHS students, Bria Koza and Avery Harrington, to help adolescents during social isolation. Support for this program has been widespread at the high school and even as far as California. After learning about this program, I decided to talk to the creators Avery and Bria to learn more about what this program is about.
How did Quaranteens start?
In May of 2019, Bria realized that she wanted to make an impact and find a way to help adolescents who have difficulty being social branch out and make friends. Since her mom is a behavior analyst, it furthered her understanding on how she could help kids based on their behaviors. As she developed this idea, Bria realized that she needed someone’s help who was kind and social like her. Avery was the first person to come to mind.
When quarantine started due to the pandemic, they took the initiative to start this program. They knew that this was an unprecedented time and that everyone was struggling, but some more than others. As stated by Bria and Avery they wanted to create a “safe-haven” for those.
In June of 2020, the first meeting took place over Zoom with seven kids all of whom had severe anxiety, autism, or Down Syndrome. They said it was difficult for the kids to open up over Zoom and it took a lot of time. They are now extremely proud of how far the kids have come. After the pandemic subsided, they began meeting in person. “It was easier,” they said, especially because they had already formed connections over Zoom.
Now, in person, they are able to do a lot more fun and interactive activities. Avery and Bria explained that they plan to do different activities so that the kids experience different types of social settings. For example, one meeting may be at Panera so that the kids have to learn to be social in a more public setting while other meetings may be at Bria or Avery’s houses to allow a fun but more private time. They also enjoy being outside and hiking, especially over the summer.
This past Thanksgiving, Quaranteens held a Friendsgiving which was a fun activity that allowed everyone in the group to bring a dish to eat and hang out. Avery and Bria mentioned this was a really great activity for all of them. It was not only an enjoyable time, but it also allowed for the kids to spend time being social in a more formal setting (at dinner) and then after in a more informal setting (playing games).
“Quaranteens has not only met our goals, but has also exceeded our expectations!”
– Avery Harrington and Bria Koza
The Impact & Support
Quaranteens is an amazing program that is helping a lot of people. Avery and Bria made sure to emphasize that this organization is aiding those in who have a harder time being social, but also to teach the world to embrace those with disabilities. They are extremely thankful for all the support they have received whether through instagram or someone buying a sweatshirt. They gave a special thanks to all the parents of the kids in the program as well as their own parents for all the support and help to make the program function the way it does. They also mentioned that Izzie DeFazio has been a great help to the program. They extended another thank you to everyone in the school and around the towns who have helped to make this program so successful.
“Quaranteens isn’t just those exactly involved, it is a movement and anyone who stands up for inclusion overall. Quaranteens stands for more – it is trying to show people that we are all the same and we should embrace everyone’s differences”
– Avery Harrington and Bria Koza
The two founders of Quaranteens hope to continue even when in college next year. They are currently planning on how to achieve this so that everyone can continue receiving the help they need and keep having a great experience!
How to Get Involved
If you want to get involved, you can message Avery and Bria through the Quaranteen’s Instagram, talk to them in school, or follow their Instagram page (@quaranteeens_). There are no requirements to start and if you want to support the program financially, you can buy a sweatshirt! Every amount of support is greatly appreciated!!
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