Stories
Current Category: Students Taking Action
Hear the Silence
Posted: 3/25/2019
I have been interested in helping people all of my life and was aware of friends around me being bullied so I decided to look up statistics and was alarmed with the epidemic numbers. So I reached out to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and was granted permission to produce a Public Service Announcement entitled “Hear the Silence” for my Girl Scout Gold Award. The goal was to get a perspective of a mother and daughter, as well as the viewpoint of someone who had bullied. I discovered in my interviews that several years ago, I was a participant of bullying and wanted to interweave my personal experience into the story. I hoped to bring attention from all angles of bullying and hope my story will help others combat peer pressure, to recognize if they are being bullied, and to get help.
I discovered a lot about myself, and how we all struggle with finding our voice and learning how to be strong and empowered. I apologized to the mother and daughter and we remain good friends. My advice, reach out and speak out so you can be part of the solution, not the problem. To quote Alexander Pope, to err, is human but to forgive, is divine!
View Drew’s brochure designed for young students
By: Drew Nichols
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Sew for SOS
Posted: 3/20/2019
While facing a frightening surgery on his arm, 12 year old Luke started thinking about the many other people in the world facing difficult life events, like illness or bullying. He decided he wanted to let them know that someone cared about them. So he started an initiative called SEW for SOS, where students spend some of the recess periods sewing miniature pillows with inspirational messages stuffed inside. Then they send these pillows to people they believe need support – patients, veterans, and other students.
Luke writes, “It is important to me because I want to express the fact that even though I am a kid, that I can make a positive change in my community. That desire to make a difference even at a young age is what pushes me to work extremely hard every day.”
Luke and the other members of SEW for SOS are living proof that you’re never too young to make a difference in your community!
Robert Lunt Elementary School Grades 2-3
Posted: 3/15/2019
The second through fifth grade students of Robert Lunt Elementary School in Nevada are committed to bullying prevention. To share their message with the world, they created videos to demonstrate the kind of positive, supportive environment they want for their school.
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Robert Lunt Elementary School Grades 4-5
Posted: 3/15/2019
The second through fifth grade students of Robert Lunt Elementary School in Nevada are committed to bullying prevention. To share their message with the world, they created videos to demonstrate the kind of positive, supportive environment they want for their school.
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Shrek the Musical
Posted: 3/10/2019
In May 2014, the students of VISTA Productions (the joint theater program of Visitation School and Saint Thomas Academy) put on Shrek The Musical! This vibrant, exciting show includes powerful bullying prevention messages such as embracing differences and being proud of who you are. The VISTA students collaborated with PACER to create a project that linked the show with bullying prevention themes. The students made an effort to really understand the issue and were deeply motivated to make a difference in their school. They created a beautiful display that celebrated the unique characteristics of the cast and crew; it declared “What makes us special makes us strong!” Bullying is an issue that affects students on a deeply personal level, but it has important implications for parents, teachers, schools, and communities as well.
One student writes, “Working with PACER added a depth to Shrek. It isn't just a show that made me laugh, it's a show that made me consider what it means to be comfortable with the 'fairy tale creature' I am, and not the manufactured citizen of Duloc that society asks me to be.”
Bullying prevention is a community effort, and the students of VISTA Productions have shown their compassion, talent, and creativity through this project.
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Believe in Better
Posted: 3/5/2019
When Olivia, Katie, and Brooke noticed bullying happening in their school, they knew they needed to take action to build a safe environment for their classmates. They wanted to provide a space where students could ask questions and tell stories about their experiences with bullying anonymously. They then respond to questions with advice about bullying with the support of their school psychologist. Through this project they’ve been able to offer support, solidarity, and advice to their fellow students who are affected by bullying.
Olivia, Katie, and Brooke write: “We care about bullying prevention because we don’t want anyone to feel alone and helpless in their situation. We know many other people who have gone to great lengths to stop the bullying, and we want to help support them. We believe our local website is a great action step towards the large goal of stopping bullying all together.”
Visit their website and learn more.
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Love Share Care
Posted: 3/1/2019
After watching her friend experience bullying, Azariah wanted to create a space for girls to interact online in a positive, friendly space free from bullying. And the idea for Love, Share, Care was born! LoveShareCare.com is a place for teen and tween girls to address cyberbullying through supportive and positive interaction. Girls can socialize, engage in online challenges to spread peace and prevent bullying, and even win prizes!
Azariah writes, “My idea to create a bully free social network came about after a close friend of mine experienced the torment of being bullied. My first thought was to create a group within my school for other girls who had gone through the same thing. I soon realized that the problem was much bigger than my school. I have always had a passion for helping others and bullying stands out the most to me, which made my desire to help not only my friend but girls everywhere. I want to inspire girls to be more positive not only on social media, but also through the interactions they have face to face. I want Love Share Care to be a social place that gives girls the freedom to share their ups and downs without the fear of being teased or bullied. I hope that my efforts show girls all over the world that we can make a difference by doing kind things for others, no matter how old you are.
Project Orange
Posted: 2/28/2019
West Morris Central in Chester, NJ is proud to have run a Project Orange unity day on Thursday, April 10, 2014, in support of bullying prevention. Students ran a “cyber act of kindness day” where kids pledged to commit an act of kindness via social media. In addition to the pledges, students and faculty showed their support to prevent bullying by wearing Orange. Leading up to the event some of our students made a Public Service advertisement for the local radio station which was played throughout the day for over two weeks! The day was a great success and more importantly a lot of fun for a great cause. Listen to the audio PSA.
Community Service from the Heart
Posted: 2/25/2019
The students of Law Explorer Post 629 in New Jersey chose bullying as the focus of their community service project this year. Their goal is to collect 220,000 paper hearts from across the country, lay all of these hearts out on a football field, and film the field from an airplane to capture the true visual impact of that many people showing their support for bullying prevention. Hear their stories and find out more in this video.
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Friendship is a Treat
Posted: 2/20/2019
When Sarah was born with multiple health issues, doctors weren’t optimistic. Through two foster homes, Sarah struggled with physical and emotional health issues. But when she was two years old, she found her forever family and her health began to improve. Now a teenager, Sarah has made amazing progress but still struggles to make friends. So along with her sisters, she came up with the idea to make 1000 new friends by sharing gumballs with strangers. Sarah and her family attend concerts, parades, and other events where she approaches individuals, shares her story, and asks if they want to become her “gumball friend.” In January 2014, she reached her goal of 1000 friends – and her uncle donated $1 for each friend to charity. Sarah is now on another mission, to make another 1000 friends and continue fundraising for causes she cares about. Sometimes friendship is as simple as sharing a treat, and Sarah has now touched over 1000 people with her story. Learn more about her story on her Facebook page.
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Submit a video, story, poem, artwork, or audio clip expressing how you feel about bullying, how you think it affects students and schools, what you have done to prevent bullying, or what others can do to prevent bullying.
