Humanity Club

Back To School

It’s nearly that time. Another school year is just ahead, hard as that may be to believe. The summer has raced by, it seems. But as the 2023-24 term begins, we want to ask for your help: Please spread the word about the Humanity Project to any school counselors, administrators or teachers you may know. Our programs are free, proven effective … and fun for the students.

On our own, we can’t connect with all the schools that need our help to prevent bullying and instill stronger feelings in students about values such as respect, equality and self-worth. Broward County alone is home to the nation’s sixth largest school district — and we don’t have the resources to call or visit every school. So we’re looking for your assistance, please.

Here’s how you can make sure more kids get our Humanity Project positive message:

  • Call, email or visit your local elementary school.

  • (We have programs for older students too but need help with elementary schools only.)

  • Give the elementary school this information:

  • Email: info@thehumanityproject.com

  • Phone: 954-205-2722

  • Contact: Bob Knotts, President & Founder

  • Website: www.thehumanityproject.com

That’s it. Just copy and paste those four bullet points and share them however you can. After they contact us, we’ll do the rest.

And if you’d like to volunteer for the Humanity Project this school year, please let us know. We’d love to talk with you. Thank you so much! With your help, we will reach more students than ever this year with our core message: “Equality For Each, Respect For All.” It’s needed now more than ever.

The Humanity Project

www.thehumanityproject.com

Young Leaders Leading Peers

This is how we do it at the Humanity Project. Kids teaching kids … Our handpicked young student leaders have spent a year learning about the real value of self-worth, respect for others, equality — and also how to present those values to their peers in various ways throughout their membership in our Humanity Club program. Last week was another opportunity for our leaders to share their knowledge. And to inspire their younger peers.

This time our 5th graders worked with a large group of 2nd graders to help the smaller children gain some understanding of ideas such as respect and community. They began the session with our regular Humanity Club deep breathing and affirmations, explaining why these practices are helpful.

It’s just one part of the Humanity Project’s efforts to promote “Equality For Each, Respect For All.” We have learned that by working with elementary school kids in this way, we help prevent bullying and other destructive behavior in their school of course, but also in middle school and high school. The lessons stick and carry over to inform their values later in life.

We’re proud of all the kids in our Humanity Club program. They are constantly challenged with new ideas and difficult problems to consider, but they come back to us for more, week after week. We applaud them. And we thank them for their hard work. Bravo to each of these young leaders.

Sponsor A Child

Are you looking for a meaningful way to make a difference in the world? Our unique Humanity Club program uses the arts to teach diverse groups of young student leaders the values of respect, equality and self-worth. Now you can make a lasting impact on these children – and help them to share their important values with many other kids.

Your $10 monthly donation enables another young leader to work toward a society that truly offers "equality for each, respect for all." Though we can’t tell you specifically which child will benefit from your support, we promise that your money is an investment in the future of our students. Just $10 a month helps a youngster grow into a strong and confident leader who inspires positive change in the community.

Use this link to visit our “Sponsor A Child” page, where you can look over the options to directly help our kids. Join us in this vital effort by sponsoring a Humanity Club child today. **

**Your contributions are deductible for federal tax purposes. You can cancel your monthly donation at any time.

You Are Somebody

More than anything else, the Humanity Project stands for this value: self-worth. The belief that you and every other human being are important … and possess equal value to everyone else. You are somebody!

We teach this to kids through our Humanity Club and Antibullying Through The Arts programs, which we offer in schools, parks, libraries and any place we can connect with children. We then help those kids to reach their peers with the same message: You are somebody special … and so is everybody! Our approach includes lessons directly focused on self-worth and other lessons centered on the value of others, including videos, music, games, art projects and more about respect, diversity and equality. We find that the combination of these approaches works best: feelings of self-worth allow people to value others — and feelings of respect for others contribute to a sense of self-worth. One concept reinforces the others.

You might enjoy seeing two new videos created by our Humanity Club kids at two different schools. They express some of the lessons learned in our programs. The first is by the great kids at Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary under their teacher Piper Spencer: Watch the video, Respect Feels Good.

Then there’s this cool vid by the wonderful Humanity Club at Dania Elementary under Elysia Page and Claudia Fortoul: Watch the video, Raise The World.

We think you’ll enjoy both brief videos. And perhaps get some better sense of the values we teach at the Humanity Project. “Equality For Each, Respect For All!” And as the basis for it all, self-worth. That’s what the Humanity Project is really about.

Serving Our Children & Families

Thank you, Children’s Services Council of Broward County. Again.

CSC has been a highly valued partner of the Humanity Project for more than 15 years… and counting. That important tax-funded agency has just approved money for our Humanity Club program so that we can bring together more young students and teachers and parents to expand our garden at Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary School in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Last year, you may recall, we built a lovely Humanity Garden at this school. Now we can make it bigger and better, an even more welcoming place for reflection, relaxation and learning about the values of equality and respect-for-all. We’ll hold a community event this winter to do that with our new CSC funds.

Pics from our 2021-22 Humanity Garden

The mission of Children’s Services Council of Broward County, in their words, “is to provide leadership, advocacy, and resources necessary to enhance the lives of the children of Broward County and empower them to become responsible, productive adults through collaborative planning and funding of a continuum of quality care.” CSC funds more than 100 programs that assist kids and families. They also support kid-friendly and family-friendly policies as well as help bring together those who work toward better lives for children and parents.

We want to make sure to thank Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, President and CEO of Children’s Services Council of Broward County. Her strong staff includes folks such as Dr. Sharetta Remikie, Chief Equity and Community Engagement Officer, and Andrew Leone, Director of Communications and Community Engagement along with too many others to name. We are grateful to each of these dedicated community activists — and to CSC Broward. We can’t do it without you.

Our Kids Helping Hurricane Victims

Holy cow! Look at that number on the big check our kids are holding: $1,192 … money they raised to help victims of Hurricane Ian. Impressive, isn’t it?

We want to thank our Humanity Club student leaders at Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary School in Pembroke Pines, Florida for their amazing fundraising efforts. It was spearheaded by the wonderful Piper Spencer, a Humanity Project Board Director and teacher at that school. Piper helps us lead weekly meetings with the Pines Charter Elementary Humanity Club. At her suggestion, our kids held fundraising events that pulled in some big money for hurricane relief efforts. The money is going to our friends and partners at Neighbors 4 Neighbors, a South Florida nonprofit founded in 1992 to aid folks hurt by Hurricane Andrew. We’re told our Humanity Project money will go toward mental health services for Ian’s victims as well as first responders and social service workers there. Bravo!

Humanity Club is just one of the Humanity Project’s acclaimed programs. And thanks to a generous grant from Our Fund Foundation, Humanity Club will be in more schools and other locations than ever before in a single year. We work with young student leaders on the values of self-worth, equality and respect, then guide them as they share what they’ve learned with schoolmates and other peers.

So a big thank you to our Humanity Club in Pembroke Pines for caring enough to show respect for people in desperate need — in this case, respect in the form of dollars that can make a genuine difference.

One Child's Call For Respect and Peace

As the new school year begins, we already can see that our 2022-23 Humanity Club kids are very special. You may recall that our Humanity Club is a signature Humanity Project program, bringing together handpicked student leaders for intensive training about respect, equality, diversity and self-worth — lessons they share with their peers.

At Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary School, a young Humanity Club student has written a poem we thought you might like to see. Here it is, called “A World of Peace.” By Matthew Hines, 5th Grade.

If we showed respect to everyone in our schools

There would be no bullying problems

Of what we wear, and our hair, and our special abilities

Instead we greet others casually and treat them with respect

A school of peace, A world of peace

If we showed respect to everyone in our community

We will try to often have their back

If you see someone in distress don't sit back and watch

Try to help them move on with their day, don't leave them in a notch

A community of peace, a world of peace

If we showed worldwide respect

No terrorism or war

Talk it out with other leaders the correct thing to do

No violence or war is by any means necessary

Just do the right thing you know what to do

From the battlegrounds of Afghanistan

To the war in Ukraine

From the bombing of Pearl Harbor

From the terror of 9/11 Let there be peace

Because a world of peace is a beautiful world.

****

We find it hopeful that some young minds feel such feelings and think such thoughts, offering us all a much-needed injection of optimism about the future. We’re proud that the Humanity Project’s “Humanity Club” program is helping to shape and encourage children such as Matthew, who in turn teach their important lessons to fellow students. “Equality For Each, Respect For All” … that’s the Humanity Project.

What Do Kids Say?

The Humanity Project’s highly regarded “Humanity Club” program works with kids for extended periods, typically one or even two full school years with the same group. These young leaders of color then help teach their peers about values such as self-worth, respect for all people, equality. But what do the kids themselves think of their program?

After a full year at Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary School in Pembroke Pines, Florida, we asked Humanity Club members. Without prompting or advance warning, no preparation — these are their spontaneous and candid remarks. Take a listen to this brief but uplifting video. (With great thanks to Piper Spencer, Humanity Project Board Director and teacher at Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary School.)


Kids Rap Against Bullying

We hope you’ll take just one minute to watch the latest video by some of our Humanity Project kids — members of the Humanity Club program. It’s their own lyrics, their performances … all to help stop bullying in their school and beyond. “Bully, bully, bully, can’t you ever see? Your words really really do bad hurt me!”

If you can’t watch it through the embedded video below, here’s the link on our Humanity Project YouTube channel. We just know you’ll enjoy it … and perhaps feel inspired that these young children care about the feelings of other human beings. This video is one more way our nonprofit inspires self-worth, promotes equality and prevents disrespectful bullying behavior, whether in the schools, at home, on the roads or in the workplace. “Equality For Each, Respect For All!”

Worth A Thousand Words

We love this photo. It shows two of our Humanity Project kids enjoying a spontaneous moment together. It was unplanned, unstaged, unrehearsed. And to us, it reflects the essence of the Humanity Project.

Take a moment and just give that photo a good look. One smaller boy offers his high five to a taller boy of a different race who looks a bit surprised. In reality, these two know each other — both are members of our Humanity Club at Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary School in Pembroke Pines, Florida. (They’re wearing gardening gloves after helping to plant our latest Humanity Garden.) Like all the kids in that club, they are bright and caring individuals. But that moment, that joining of hands … it suggests something we find encouraging. To us, that photo is saying, “Yes, we can all get along despite any differences we may have.” It’s a small tidbit of hope in a world that badly needs hope just now. We felt this photo was worth sharing with you for that reason. Perhaps you’ll want to share it with others …

Our Kids Ask For Peace

We hope you’ll watch this new Humanity Project video. It shows kids from our Humanity Club program, directly asking Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine. To us, it’s a powerful message of hope for a better future — children calling for peace. Please share it on social media, in emails and texts. Anywhere you can. The world needs more messages like this one, surely.

For Kids & Community

Children’s Services Council of Broward County is a special friend of the Humanity Project. Today we thank them again, as so many times in the past. And we remind the community of their important work helping to improve life for kids and families.

CSC Broward is a tax-funded agency that supports programs and offers other assistance to make sure that children grow up to be healthy, educated, well-balanced human beings. What could be more important? Since 2008, Children’s Services Council of Broward County has consistently aided the work of the Humanity Project as we continue to teach kids about respect for each individual, about equality, about bullying and how to stop it. Our programs are proven effective — and we have 16 years of empirical results to show their effectiveness. CSC’s funding is a reflection of our work’s value in the local community.

We recently received another generous grant from Children’s Services Council of Broward County to build a new “Humanity Garden” at an elementary school. The garden project is part of our Humanity Club program, which works with young student leaders to help them understand and spread throughout their school the values of equality and respect. We are proud of this program — and grateful for the continued support from CSC Broward. We know that expanding the minds of children requires efforts that also connect with their hearts. Our Humanity Gardens are one important tool to do just that.

We hope you’ll visit the website of Children’s Services Council of Broward County. They play a vital role in the life of the South Florida community — and in the work of the Humanity Project. Thank you, CSC Broward!

This website and all materials on it are copyrighted by the Humanity Project®.

(Fables and some music are copyrighted by the author, Robert Spencer Knotts.)

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