Hello Friends,
Less than 2 months into the new school year, we’ve already hit the ground running, hosting school programs with Reggie Dabbs, Seth Franco, Keith Elias, Vai Sikahema, Preston Centuolo and Jon Pritikin. Evolving with the needs of students, our anti-bullying initiative helps foster a safe and supportive learning environment entitled to all students. You can check out some of our resources at www.LivingBullyFree.com.
It’s always inspirational to hear the many personal accounts of how our speaker messages are impacting students on all sides of bullying, from witnesses, targets, or even perpetrators. They can all agree that life is hard enough without pushing others down, and commit to rethink their role in managing negative social situations. In schools we talk about physical, social, electronic, and verbal bullying, along with the power within our words. We raise student consciousness so that in the future, they may rethink their actions, like whether to hit “send” on social media. The Internet may seem like only a CyberWorld, but it is the real world to someone on the receiving end of cyberbullying.
In addition, we initiated a program called 10/10, asking all students to find 10 people every day for 10 days that they choose to inspire in some way. Intentionally stepping out as a hero through small things over the 10-day period helps build a foundation for healthier thoughts and behavior. It also refocuses harsh and judgmental views unfairly projected on themselves and others, and instead emphasizing unique individuality and value inherently possessed by all.
Now, in mid-October, we’ve already visited over 140,000 students, with a projected fall student total of just over 400,000. That’s just in three months, and that doesn’t include the thousands of families that come out to our family night programs to hear a valuable message of hope, acceptance, and inspiration, realizing while no one is perfect, we can play a supportive role in one another’s lives.
As you can see, we continue to grow and make a difference in students’ lives every single day through our programs. We send our most sincere thanks to you, as none of this would be possible if it wasn’t for support from loyal individuals, businesses, and corporations. We hope to see many of our supporters on December 5th for our celebrity banquet. It’s our only annual fundraiser and supporter appreciation banquet. If you’re interested in more information on the banquet, please let us know. As always, you may check out the pictures below of our fall school programs and family nights and check us out online at www.theyouthalliance.com.
