The BirdsEye Initiative at BYU
BYU students write encouragement, fold it into blue-and-white paper airplanes, and leave each one for somebody to find.
Photo by Matthew Norton / BYU
Follow President Reese’s example
A wave
you can hold.
President Reese reaches outward first with a simple wave—even when no one waves back. BirdsEye turns that same instinct into something another student can open, keep, and pass on.
01 · The idea
What if encouragement could land in your day exactly when you needed it?
BirdsEye is a student-led initiative built around a simple act: write an honest line of encouragement, fold it into a blue-and-white paper airplane, and leave it for another student to find.
Why the word BirdsEye?
A bird’s-eye view gives us perspective. It lifts our attention above the next deadline, difficult day, or crowded schedule so we can notice the larger landscape—and the people sharing it with us. BirdsEye is an invitation to look up, look outward, and help somebody else do the same.
Found a BirdsEye airplane?
The message inside is an anonymous gift from another BYU student. There is no catch and nothing expected back. Open it, receive the encouragement, and let it make your day a little lighter.
Read the note. Keep the airplane wherever you may need that reminder again.
Pass this plane to a friend—or write a new message and leave it for somebody else.
President Reese reminds us to reach outward first. This airplane is a wave you can hold.
02 · Why it matters
College can narrow life to one test or deadline. BirdsEye creates a reason to look up, notice the people beside us, and offer the kind of encouragement we would want to receive.
“The gesture itself is the goal.”
BYU President Shane Reese
“Get outside
yourselves.”
“For our students that are facing this epidemic of loneliness, I think the single biggest transformative thing they can do as young people, in a kind of a social-isolationist world, is to get outside themselves,” President Reese said.
Everyone is invited
BirdsEye turns that moment into something you can open, hold, and pass to another person.
“People love
to be noticed.”
Small contact matters
“All of these micro-encounters seem to affirm our belonging, seem to affirm that we are seen and recognized by others, even the most casual contact,” said Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development.
“People love to be noticed,” President Reese said. “And most of the time, they will respond positively.”
03 · How it works
Meet, share something good, and make room for the big-picture questions that get lost inside a busy week.
Add one short, honest line of encouragement. Place the plane somewhere another student will find it.
Finders can keep the lift, share it with a friend, or send a new message back into the world.
04 · The founding instinct
BYU President Shane Reese is known for waving to people as he drives—even when they do not wave back. The point is not getting a response. The point is choosing to reach outward first.
BirdsEye takes its cue from that same instinct. Our gesture is simply folded in half.
You’re invited
You do not need a title, a major, or a reason. Just a few minutes and a willingness to reach outward.
Join the movement See how we gather ↗