September 11, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michele St. Martin
[email protected] | 952-838-9000
Cartoon Network’s Stop Bullying: Speak Up Partners with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and 826 National in a Nationwide Effort to Create More Inclusive Communities
Inspiring Kids Across the Country to Include Someone at Lunch, Recess or Wherever It’s Needed Most to Help Stop Bullying Before It Starts
As part of its award-winning Stop Bullying: Speak Up initiative, Cartoon Network is joining with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center (NBPC) and 826 National to inspire kids in communities nationwide to make a difference by including someone. This new collaboration will come to life through a joint campaign, called Include Someone, Make a Difference kicking off this Fall in recognition of October’s National Bullying Prevention Month, initiated by PACER Center in 2006, with a goal of creating inclusive communities that stop bullying before it starts.
The campaign will inspire kids to include others, presenting ideas of things they can do or say to make a difference in the lives of their peers and communities, whether at home, online, in school or through afterschool programming. Cartoon Network’s reach and relevance combined with PACER and 826 National’s unique expertise and resources will ensure that kids across the nation are equipped with the proper tools to make a difference.
“Our long-standing commitment to address bullying among kids is more relevant today than ever,” said Jill King, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships at Cartoon Network. “This October, we are empowering kids to make a difference by including others. Whether you live in a big city, or a rural community, a simple act – like inviting someone who is alone to sit with you - can help prevent bullying. That is why we are proud to join with PACER and 826 National to support kids' collective action against bullying across the nation. By coming together, we can stop bullying before it starts.”
Cartoon Network will air a new, original PSA, reaching kids all across the country with a call to action to participate in the campaign by including others. Online, kids and educators can access a campaign microsite (www.IncludeSomeone.com), hosted by PACER’s NBPC, that will track and highlight nationwide participation via an interactive map, and provide ideas and resources for kids and educators on how to get involved.
PACER’s NBPC is lending its expertise by creating resources for educators that incorporate Cartoon Networks beloved characters. An Include Someone mini-kit will be offered free to educators and include everything an educator needs to engage their students in acts of inclusion. The mini-kit includes:
- An educator’s guide
- A How-To-Include classroom poster
- Shareable Inclusion Cards that provide kids with ideas of how to simply, yet powerfully include others.
- Stickers to reward demonstrations of inclusion
Educators can access these free materials online or can request a hard copy kit to be mailed to their schools.
“We created National Bullying Prevention Month more than a decade ago to raise awareness of bullying prevention and unite communities across the country for kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Unfortunately, bullying continues to be an issue with one in five students reporting being bullied,” said Julie Hertzog, Director of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. “The good news is that, with encouragement and guidance, five in five kids can take action to stop bullying and we’re proud to partner with Cartoon Network to reach more kids with that message.”
Working in collaboration with Cartoon Network, 826 National and its network of nine internationally celebrated youth writing organizations are expanding the Inclusion Storytelling Project. To achieve the project’s goals of engaging and inspiring students, and amplifying their ideas about why including others matters, Cartoon Network and 826 have co-created an inclusion-themed, storytelling lesson plan for elementary and middle school students. This free, downloadable lesson, will be available to educators everywhere on 826 Digital (826digital.com).
"Students have the power, perspective, and imagination to end a pervasive culture of bullying, and we are so excited to partner with Cartoon Network and PACER to help do just that.” said Laura Brief, Chief Executive Officer, 826 National. “We can't wait to see the changes their words and their stories will inspire in classrooms, cafeterias. and schoolyards across the nation."
On Unity Day (October 23, 2019), 826 National’s participation in the Inclusion Storytelling Project will culminate with writing workshops nationwide. Hundreds of students across the 826 Network will participate in Include Someone workshops designed to get students reflecting on and writing about the myriad ways they can respond to bullying with acts of inclusion. While working together, students will describe their thoughts and feelings on empathy and friendship and put themselves in the shoes of others. They’ll also build confidence that they’re part of a movement of inclusive voices whose stories need to be heard. Post-workshop, students will be asked to amplify their voice by sharing their stories and what they’ve learned with someone in their world, thus building their capacity as inclusion leaders in their schools, communities, and families.
Cartoon Network and 826 National will also go on the road in 2020 to bring 826's engaging inclusion-based writing curricula into schools through an Inclusion Storytelling Celebration contest. Participating educators at qualifying schools can enter to win this school-wide storytelling event focused on creating, sharing, and celebrating stories of inclusion. The end result will be a publication created by the winning school's young authors.
To learn more about the campaign and to access campaign resources, visit www.IncludeSomeone.com.
About Stop Bullying: Speak Up
Cartoon Network's Stop Bullying: Speak Up (SBSU) is an award-winning, multi-platform pro-social initiative that addresses bullying among kids. Launched in 2009, the program has reached millions of viewers, and mobilized more than one million people to take the Stop Bullying: Speak Up Pledge. In 2018, Cartoon Network expanded the Stop Bullying: Speak Up initiative; teaming up with new partners and creating new resources designed to stop bullying before it starts by promoting kindness, caring and empathy among kids.
About Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a division of WarnerMedia and the #1 global animated series network, offering the best in original content for kids and families with such hits as Ben 10, Craig of the Creek, Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Powerpuff Girls, and We Bare Bears. Seen in 192 countries, over 400 million homes and in 33 languages, Cartoon Network inspires the next generation of creators and innovators by engaging its audience at the intersection of creativity and technology. Its award-winning pro-social initiative, Stop Bullying: Speak Up is an acknowledged and often used resource for kids and adults looking for tools that can assist in dealing with the ongoing issue of bullying.
WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others
About PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center
Founded in 2006, PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center actively leads social change to prevent childhood bullying, so that all youth are safe and supported in their schools, communities and online. PACER provides innovative resources for students, parents, educators, and others, and recognizes bullying as a serious community issue that impacts education, physical and emotional health, and the safety and well-being of students.PACER.org/Bullying
National Bullying Prevention Month is a campaign in the United States founded in 2006 by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. The campaign is held during the month of October and unites communities nationwide to educate and raise awareness of bullying prevention. Unity Day, held the 3rd or 4th Wednesday of October is the signature event, with a call to action to wear and share orange to unite for kindness, acceptance and inclusion to prevent bullying.
About 826 National
826 was founded in 2002 by author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari. Rooted in the belief that strong writing skills are essential for academic and lifelong success, the 826 Network now serves close to 80,000 students ages 6 to 18 in under-resourced communities each year, thanks to the support of almost 5,000 volunteers. Currently, 826 has chapters in nine major U.S. cities: Boston, Chicago, Detroit/Ann Arbor, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. There are an additional 50 826-inspired organizations around the world serving over 150,000 students.
Each chapter offers five core programs: After-School Tutoring, Field Trips, Workshops, Young Authors’ Book Project, and In-School programs – all free of charge – for students, classes, and schools.
826 also reaches classrooms worldwide through 826 Digital, an online platform that makes 826’s inventive writing resources to educators everywhere for free.
To learn more about how you can get involved with 826's movement for writing and creativity, please visit the 826 National website at www.826national.org.
Contacts:
Alexandra Packey
Cartoon Network
404.885.4339
[email protected]
Michele St. Martin
PACER Center
952.838.9000
[email protected]
Liz Dwyer
826 National
[email protected]
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