- New resources — developed by the nation's leading experts —
guide parents, educators and coaches to work together to help kids
who face bullying.
- Resources are unveiled as parents report feeling
under resourced and ill-equipped to respond to the bullying
and mental health challenges of youth today.
NEW
YORK, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The
Choose Kindness Project — an alliance of the nation's leading
nonprofit organizations that champion bullying prevention,
intentional inclusion and youth mental wellness — unveiled
first-of-its-kind resources to bring parents, educators and coaches
together to help support youth facing bullying. Today, parents and
other caring adults are struggling to support kids who face
bullying and feelings of isolation amid a youth mental health
crisis. The Parent Playbooks detail proactive steps caring adults
can take with their kids to address bullying, while helping to
build a culture of kindness, empathy and upstanding. The companion
Educator and Coach Toolkit, contains educator-family communication
tools, as well as a thoughtfully-curated selection of actionable
resources.
"From our research, there's nothing else on
the market that is as intersectional and comprehensive as these
three playbooks." Dr. Yalda T.
Uhls
According to The Choose Kindness Project survey conducted by
Ipsos, of the teens surveyed who say they have been bullied, 65%
say bullying has had an impact on their mental health and
confidence, while nearly one in three parents do not feel they have
the resources to deal with bullying issues. At the same time, 82%
of parents turn to the school as the first place to seek resources
and help if their child is bullied or accused of bullying. These
new resources, which offer tips and conversation guides, are aimed
at helping caring adults work together in addressing these
difficult issues.
Developed by The Center for Scholars & Storytellers at
UCLA and leading subject-matter
experts, the Parent Playbooks include three primary topic areas,
titled "What to Do When Your Child is Bullied," "What to Do if Your
Child is Bullying Other Kids," and "How to Build a Culture of
Kindness, Empathy and Upstanding with Kids Affected by
Bullying."
"From our research, there's nothing else on the market that is
as intersectional and comprehensive as these three playbooks," says
Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, founder of The
Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA, who worked in partnership with The Choose
Kindness Project. "While there are countless one-off parenting
resources from credible sources, The Choose Kindness Project tasked
the nation's leading experts on all things bullying, mental health
and child wellness to help create succinct and clear
recommendations for parents to guide them through difficult
situations and conversations about bullying."
Launching in tandem is the Educator and Coach Toolkit, web-based
resources that help educators and coaches engage families in a way
that communicates care, affirms common ground and paves a clear
path forward. The toolkit was designed with the support of the
College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers
program, the Walton Family Foundation and informed by some of the
nation's leading teachers, counselors and school leaders. It
provides actionable tools that help educators and youth coaches in
the areas of understanding bullying, responding to bullying, mental
wellness and cyberbullying.
"It's our mission to provide educators with access to resources
they need in order to better prepare their students for success,"
said Britton Banowsky, Executive
Director of the CFP Foundation. "Considering the many challenges
educators already face, we are grateful that the Walton Family
Foundation and the Choose Kindness Project have made it possible to
provide a thoughtfully curated and easy-to-use toolkit so that
educators and families can support students."
More than one third of teens reported they have been bullied in
the past year, according to The Choose Kindness Project Survey,
with significantly higher rates for some groups. The survey also
found that bullying happens in different places, but respondents
most frequently report incidents at school. Given these alarming
statistics, the Educator and Coach promotional kit is being
distributed to 1,000 schools across the country in advance of the
new school year as well as being available online.
ABOUT THE CHOOSE KINDNESS PROJECT
The Choose Kindness
Project is an alliance of the nation's leading nonprofit
organizations that champion three major issue areas affecting
children and teens: bullying prevention, intentional inclusion and
youth mental wellness. Guided by the 20+ members of the alliance
and supported by Entertainment Industry Foundation, The Choose
Kindness Project is dedicated to inspiring a more inclusive world
where all young people feel empowered to be themselves and feel
safe to create the futures they imagine. To learn more visit
thechoosekindnessproject.org.
ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION
The
Choose Kindness Project is a campaign of the Entertainment Industry
Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. EIF is a
Charity Navigator 4-Star Charity that meets all 20 BBB Charity
Standards and carries the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency.
Visit eifoundation.org and follow @eifoundation to learn
more.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR SCHOLARS & STORYTELLERS
(CSS)
The Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) is
the only youth-centered organization that bridges the gap between
social science research and media creation to help storytellers
better reflect the lived experiences of adolescents. We bring
together the academic and creative communities to unlock the power
of storytelling to help the next generation thrive and grow. Our
primary aim is to support content creators who are working toward
changing entrenched cultural narratives around the key issues of
diversity, equity, inclusion, mental health, and inequality. CSS is
affiliated with UCLA through the
faculty appointment of our founder, Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, in the Psychology Department, one
of the highest-ranked in the world, and we have more than 100
academic collaborators working with us from universities around the
world. You can learn more about our work at
scholarsandstorytellers.com.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF (CFP) FOUNDATION +
EXTRA YARD FOR TEACHERS
The CFP Foundation is the
community-engagement arm of the College Football Playoff,
supporting education across the country. The CFP Foundation's
primary cause platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, is dedicated to
elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering
teachers in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment,
and professional development. The CFP Foundation utilizes multiple
partnerships to execute its initiatives and support positive
educational outcomes. To learn more,
visit cfp-foundation.org and follow Extra Yard for
Teachers (@CFPExtraYard) on social media.
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SOURCE Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF)