Hear Your Children Call

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What if kids could call out the so-called adults in this world? What if they could ask for respect among the grownups who so often make a mess of things with anger and fear, with greed and vengeance and selfishness? The Humanity Project has just posted a new video created with some of our kids from the Humanity Club program — and the video’s goal is to do just that: Kids call for a more respectful society…

You can watch the 4-minute video and hear their inspiring voices for yourself. We also hope you’ll share the video link with other adults in your life. The Humanity Project believes in the power of children to improve our world. That’s why we work so hard to teach them the values of respect for all, self-worth and equality. And to help our kids share these values with their peers. And adults.

Big thanks to Piper Spencer, a Humanity Project Board Director and co-teacher of the Humanity Club at Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary in Pembroke Pines, Florida. She helped produce the recording session alongside Humanity Project Founder & President, Bob Knotts. (Bob also wrote the music and lyrics used in the video.) We feel sure you’ll enjoy this latest post on our Humanity Project YouTube Channel. And while you’re at our channel, you may want to check out some of the other 80+ videos we have available to the public for free.

Our Kids Teaching Kids

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One major goal of the Humanity Project’s acclaimed Humanity Club program is this: to teach young student leaders how to help their peers understand the value of respect, equality and self-worth. Kids teaching kids.

We now have a new tool to spread their positive message — two new short videos that can be shown in any school anywhere on planet earth, for free. These videos offer key lessons repeated at the beginning of every Humanity Club meeting. One involves a brief deep breathing exercise to relax our students and focus their attention. The other is an affirmation in call-and-response form that reminds our kids of their importance as human beings. Our Humanity Project instructors always repeat the purpose of the deep breathing and the benefits of self-worth … benefits both for themselves and others around them. The concepts and the practical techniques are taught and taught again to stick in young minds. And they do stick.

Over the years we have found these parts of our Humanity Club sessions are not only enjoyed by all our kids. The lessons indeed are remembered and used independent of our program, whether at home, in school or around their towns. We’ve heard stories of children successfully drawing on their lessons when they can’t sleep or during stressful moments. Simple as the teachings are, we find they are wonderfully helpful in connecting with elementary and middle school students in ways that improve their lives.

As a result, we decided to ask some of our Humanity Club members to help us put together shorter, simplified versions of these two program elements, creating two videos they can share with their classmates as well as with students in any school that has access to the internet. The first video walks kids through deep breathing. And in the second video, kids repeat encouraging phrases such as, “I am somebody!”

Please share these links with any parents, educators or kids who may find them helpful. You may be surprised just how helpful they really can be.

Playlist For Educators

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We have something new for both educators and students. The Humanity Project has assembled an “Educators Playlist” of inspiring videos for young people — all of them free, of course, and all available on our Humanity Project YouTube Channel.

You’ll discover videos that are appropriate for a wide range of kids: many for younger students, others for high school or even college-age youth. Some of these vids were made with the help of our Humanity Project students, others created solely by Humanity Project adults for younger viewers. We hope you may explore some of our awesome offerings … Oh, and here’s another link to share with any educators or guidance counselors or school media specialists you may know. This will take you directly to the Educators Playlist.

Again, it’s all free, all inspiring, all educational … and all of it, lots of fun. We believe both educators and kids will benefit from watching the videos on our new playlist. And we think you’ll enjoy watching them too.

#HeyAdults: Kids Tell How To Save The World

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The Humanity Project invites kids of all ages to join our new online conversation. We call it #HeyAdults... The series of short videos features children giving their own advice to adults about how to make a better world. Our Humanity Project kids start the ball rolling in a series of videos talking about such problems as stopping climate change, ending war, reforming social media and more. If you are 18 or younger, post your own one-minute video with the hashtag #HeyAdults. If you know a child who may want to take part, please pass on the info. Maybe kids can figure out some things we adults have yet to grasp.

What Do Kids Say?

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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.)