Writing Healthy

Social Media Posts

TIME (60 minutes)

HIGHLIGHTS: Start the session by identifying where in pop culture or social media you’ve
noticed the 10 Signs lately. Then brainstorm why people break up, and decide together which
reasons are in need of a break up plan versus a safety plan. Afterwards, generate some basic
rules for healthy social media posts and then practice by replying to a few posts that could
have come from Will or Zoe.

Every One Love lesson starts with an introduction to One Love, a content warning, and
information on relevant resources. This is shared in the beginning of the film. We have also
included this information in the PowerPoint slides if you’d like to reinforce their importance.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES MATERIALS

 Know the signs and spot the signs  10 Signs of Healthy and Unhealthy
 Navigate endings Relationships
 Engage in conversations about healthy and  Where are the Signs in Social Media and
unhealthy relationships Pop Culture? (Appendix)
 Access resources  Breaking up with a Partner(s): The Quick
List (Appendix)
Instead of Saying This, Say That
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Breakup Planning Guide
What makes a relationship healthy or
unhealthy? Support Plan: 3 Ps (Appendix)
 Why is it hard to talk to a partner or friend  National Resources List
about a relationship?
How do you know when it is safe to leave a SUPPLIES
relationship?
 Writing utensils
 Sticky notes
ASSESSMENT
Small pieces of paper
 At the end of the lesson, please have
participants use the following
post-workshop survey link: CASEL COMPETENCY ALIGNMENT
www.joinonelove.org/feedback Self-awareness

Distribution Rights.This discussion guide may be reprinted in its entirety or excerpted with proper acknowledgment to the One Love Foundation, 1
but may not be altered or sold for profit. © 2022, The One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love
OPENER (10 minutes)
Learning Objective: Know the signs and spot the signs
Essential Question: What makes a relationship healthy or unhealthy?
Activity Type: Discussion
Setup: Display the 10 Signs of Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships; have copies of Appendix for each group.

Start
 Display the 10 Signs of Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships.
 Explain two tricky ones:
Volatility: when someone is like a volcano – they have really strong and sometimes unpredictable reactions.
Belittling: when someone does or says things to make you feel less than.   
 Ask if anyone needs any other signs clarified.

Apply
Step 1:
Say, “Where have you seen the 10 Signs in social media or pop culture in the last week or so? In a small group
or with a partner, come up with 3-4 examples of where you’ve seen different signs.”
Direct participants into their groups and give each group the Where are the Signs in Social Media and Pop Culture?
(Appendix).
Give the groups a few minutes to identify their examples.

Step 2:
Bring the groups back together. Quickly, have 1-2 participants share some of their examples. Say, display, and discuss
the following questions:
Did you come up with more healthy or unhealthy signs?
Do you think what is shown on social media is the full story? How do you know? Why does this matter?
Say, “Let’s try to keep all of this in mind as we watch the film.”

Debrief
“We see examples of unhealthy relationship behaviors normalized and even encouraged in the media. Movies
and TV wouldn’t be as exciting without all the relationship drama! But that doesn’t mean we want the same
for ourselves in real life. Generally, if we’re calling a relationship “dramatic” or “toxic” in our own lives, that’s
a sign that it may be unhealthy, even though it might be fun to watch on TV.”

© 2022, The One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love 2

Before you press play, say, “It’s important to recognize that the film you’re about to watch may
bring on an emotional reaction. We will have the chance to discuss what you’ve seen after the film
but want to encourage you to reach out to any of the resources on this list if you are still struggling
with what you saw after this workshop.”

Distribute National Resources List

Give participants time to review. Then, ask if anyone has questions.

PLAY FILM (8 minutes)

CHECK IN (2 minutes)

Say and discuss, “What are your initial reactions? How does this film make you feel?”

ACTIVITY (15 minutes)

Essential Question: How do you know when it’s safe to leave a relationship?
Activity Type: Discussion
Setup: Have the Breaking Up with a Partner(s): The Quick List (Appendix)
ready for display or sharing.

Start
 Ask and discuss the following questions:
Why do you think the name of the film is “Behind the Post”?
If somebody only saw Will (he/him) and Zoe’s (she/her) social media posts, what words would describe their
relationship?

Apply
Step 1:
Display and say the following question for participants to answer on paper:
How do you know when it is time to end a romantic relationship?
Ask participants to write each answer on separate pieces of paper. (No need to write their names on them! Keep it
anonymous as much as possible). Fold the responses, then bring them up and put them in a pile.

© 2022, The One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love 3

Step 2:
Read out a few responses (four or so). Write them on the board (or in the chat). You want participants to remember
what’s been written on the papers.
Note to facilitator: Read and record enough responses to talk about a range of different reasons for ending a
relationship.
Ask this question:
“Which of these reasons for ending a relationship requires a breakup plan? Which of these reasons requires a
safety plan? How do you know the difference?”

Alternative structure: After reading each piece of paper, ask if it requires a breakup or a safety plan.
Note to facilitator: All breakups should have a breakup plan. Relationships that have a pattern of unhealthy
behaviors should have a safety plan. Note whether any of the suggestions from the group included a pattern of u
healthy behaviors.

Step 3:
Say, “It is important to have a breakup plan when going through any breakup, regardless of whether the
relationship is healthy or unhealthy. If you feel unsafe or if there’s a pattern of unhealthy behaviors, the detail
of a safety plan are important to think through.”

Step 4:
Display the 3 Ps
Say: “Let’s talk about the 3 Ps you should reach out to when planning a breakup or safety plan. We mean
Parents (or a trusted adult), Peers, and Professionals.”
Give each participant a Support Plan: 3 Ps (Appendix). Ask them to write down the name of at least one P. Remind
them that they can also include someone that they’d LIKE to be their P if they can’t think of anyone.

Debrief
Display the Breakup Planning Guide and show them more information on the One Love website
(joinonelove.org/safety-break-up-planning/).
Say, “If your gut tells you something is a little bit off, do not ignore it! If you decide to break up with your
partner, it is important to have support resources like those listed in the Breakup Planning Guide, and to
reach out to the 3 Ps: Parents (or a trusted adult), Peers, and Professionals are essential to navigating a
breakup.”

Teaching Points
The most dangerous time in a relationship is during and post breakup. Creating a safety plan can help keep
everyone safe after a breakup.
A safety plan is a personalized strategy for breaking up with a potentially or already abusive or unhealthy partner. It
involves looping in other people like friends, family members, school resources, and trained professionals.
If you suspect a relationship is abusive (if you are seeing many of the 10 Signs or are worried someone might
respond with volatility to a breakup), it is vital to include a professional in a breakup plan.
There are additional resources and support for LGBTQ+ people dealing with breakups. Remember, you are not
alone!

© 2022, The One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love 4

ACTIVITY (15 minutes)
Essential Question: Why is it hard to talk to a partner or friend about a relationship?
Activity Type: Movement
Setup: Instead of Saying This, Say That
Sticky notes and a writing utensil for every participant
Create three sheets of chart paper with one of the following photo descriptions with a text message at the top:

Photo descriptions:
• Zoe and Will lying in the grass: Zoe: Together 4ever!
• Zoe and Will in the car:
Will: A perfect drive!
• Zoe and Will at the bonfire:
Zoe: A magical night

Facilitator note: If you’re able to screen grab images of these scenes and print them out to put on the chart paper,
AMAZING! If not, no problem. Writing the description should do just fine.

Start
 Say, “We often feel pressure to put our best face forward on social media. Just because someone is posting
amazing photos, it does not mean that they are happy or that their relationship is going well. Sometimes,
other people’s responses to our posts impact what we think and feel about our life and relationships.”

Apply
Step 1: ACTIVITY PART 1
Ask and discuss, “Why are replies like, ‘You guys are the best couple ever!!’ or, ‘Ugh, so jealous!!’ a problem?”

Step 2:
Say, “Let’s come up with what we think healthy behaviors should look like on social media.” Direct
participants into pairs or small groups to brainstorm a few ideas.

What are some basic rules we can use to practice healthy behaviors with our friends on social media?

Note to facilitator: See below for possible examples.

Step 3:
Direct participants to write their responses on sticky notes and place them on a wall or board.
Help organize them into categories as they are brought up. Label the categories and ask the group if they agree
with them.

© 2022, The One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love 5

Step 4: ACTIVITY PART 2
Post the chart paper with the photo descriptions and/or images.

Step 5:
Say, “Imagine you are seeing some of Zoe and Will’s social media posts. Given the categories and rules we just
came up with, what are some healthy responses to these posts?”
Organize the participants into small groups at each piece of chart paper. Ask participants write their responses on the
chart paper and rotate around to the different posts after a few minutes.

Debrief
Share out several healthy posts for each photo.
Hand out Instead of Saying This, Say That. If you’re unable to print it, show them where to access it.
Ask and discuss, “Is there anything you wrote in reply to the text messages that you might want to change?”
Say, “Remember, one way to support our friends is through what we post and don’t post on social media.”

Teaching Points
Most of us have not been taught how to talk about relationships. It takes guts and practice to feel comfortable
having relationship conversations.
With social media, we might feel pressure to post the best selfie or picture with our partner or friends. Let’s normalize
conversations about relationships that aren’t perfect.
Our social media responses might make our friends think that they should feel lucky to be in their relationship, even
if that relationship doesn’t make them feel good. Our comments may also make it harder for our friends to reach out
for help and support.

Healthy Social Media Behavior Examples

Make comments about the post, not the relationship (“Looks fun! Gorgeous background!”).
Don’t make comments that add pressure (“When’s the wedding? You guys are perfect!”).

© 2022, The One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love 6

ACTIVITY (5 minutes)

Essential Question: Where would you go if you or a friend needed help

in ending a relationship?
Activity Type: Discussion

Start
 Discuss the following question as a group: “Why might people be hesitant to talk to a professional?”
 Ask participants to take back out the National Resources List that was distributed before watching the film.
 Ask and discuss: “From this list, who do you think Zoe could go to? Who do you think Will might reach out to
for support?”

Teaching Points
It’s important to know where you can turn to for professional support before you get into a situation where you need
help.
Involving an expert can make the difficulties or danger seem more real, and people often think, ‘it isn’t that bad,’ but
statistics show that many people who haven’t been physically abusive in the past might be during or after a breakup.
Professional resources are held by certain standards of confidentiality, and understanding the different types of
resources can help you identify what would help you or your friend the most in your/their current situation.

WRAP UP (5 minutes)
Activity Type: Independent Reflection

Say and display, “Let’s look at the 10 Signs of a Healthy Relationship.

Which sign would you like to bring into your own relationships more?
What’s one thing you can do to make that happen?”

Ask if a couple of participants would like to share.

© 2022, The One Love Foundation in honor of Yeardley Love 7