A Better Beginning

View fullsize

The Humanity Project is expanding our acclaimed programs — again. This time we’re finding a new way to bring key portions of our Humanity Club and Antibullying Through The Arts programs to entire schools… for a full academic year. It’s simple, but effective. And the schools using our new approach are loving it so far, as are their kids. (Contact us if you’d like to bring this to your school, at no cost.)

We have created a brief routine for schoolwide morning announcements. A counselor or administrator or teacher takes the microphone and asks the children in each classroom to follow along: First a series of self-worth exercises in the form of repetitions using the words, “I am somebody.” This phrase was written as part of a poem in the early 1940s by Rev. William Holmes Borders, who used it to promote civil rights in Atlanta. It was later taken up by broader elements of the civil rights movement, famously by Jesse Jackson. Those three important words have been part of the opening moments of every Humanity Club meeting for many years now. Our Antibullying Through The Arts program incorporates them as well.

A portion of our Humanity Project morning announcements

Next the school’s morning announcer takes the students through a short deep breathing exercise, to help them focus and relax and prepare for the day ahead. This deep breathing also is borrowed from our Humanity Club and Antibullying Through The Arts sessions. We’ve seen the positive effects of both the deep breathing and the affirmations when done repeatedly over time. We are sure they will improve feelings of well-being and self-worth for many of the students who are introduced to these exercises in this 2025-26 school year… and so reduce bullying by encouraging kids to relax and feel good about themselves in school.

We’re grateful to the schools and educators helping us deliver these valuable lessons to our kids. We also must thank the Our Fund Foundation and the Community Foundation of Broward, whose funding has made it possible for us to implement this program expansion. Together, we form an effective team working to make a difference in the lives of as many kids as possible.

Kid Reactions

View fullsize

There’s no fooling kids about some things. Especially when it comes to their reactions toward adults … and adult efforts to instruct them. Most youngsters tend to be brutally honest in their assessments of us grownups and our interactions with them.

So we are very pleased with the end-of-year feedback we just received from our Humanity Project kids. This comes at the conclusion of our “Humanity Club” program following a full year of work with 5th grade students and their peers. You see one of the surveys shown here, which includes the comment: “Humanity Club has helped me in the biggest way because this club has shown me that I matter even if I don’t think so.” These surveys did not come with any prompting by the Humanity Project: Our kids were free to say anything they wanted, anonymously if they preferred… or to say nothing at all. Or even to make negative remarks. Every survey this year was very positive. This same student went on to say: “Humanity Club has helped the school because this club shows us that we are equal, and we are all somebody.”

We think that’s high praise from a 10-year-old. Here’s another example:

As you see, the student noted that our Humanity Project program helped with her anger problem… and that people liked her better because she was not as angry after working with us. Again, we consider this a meaningful accomplishment in the growth of a child, all thanks to the “Humanity Club” program.

The Humanity Project is 20-years-old now — and experience with our programs has consistently proven them highly effective. The “Humanity Club” is no exception. We know our work can significantly improve young lives.

We are all about strengthening feelings of self-worth in as many human beings as we can reach, both child and adult alike. “Equality for each, respect for all” allows us to focus our efforts on areas of society where we can do the greatest good to encourage self-worth in individuals by preventing bullying, advising parents, inspiring our website visitors and more. We hope you’ll join our campaign, at no cost, to carry this important work to even more folks who need it.

Great Foundations

View fullsize

Every nonprofit needs a solid foundation — a strong base of support in the form of a focused mission and vision as well as high quality effective programs, an engaged board and sufficient funding. Fortunately, the 20-year-old Humanity Project has all those elements in place … in no small part thanks to two other foundations in our community: the Our Fund Foundation and the Community Foundation of Broward.

Today we want to express our sincere gratitude to both of them for jointly awarding a generous new grant to the Humanity Project so we can continue our work. And also expand that work to reach many more kids who need our inspiring lessons in self-worth, equality and respect-for-all. Our nationally known Humanity Club and Antibullying Through The Arts programs forge deep connections with school children, helping them to treat all their peers respectfully. They learn to prevent bullying as well as to stop bullying whenever and wherever it may happen. Our programs place special emphasis on supporting the LGBTQ community of students, which is disproportionately victimized by bullying in and out of school.

The new grant continues the Humanity Project’s longtime partnership with the Our Fund Foundation, an LGBTQ community foundation, and its amazing CEO, David Jobin. We’re deeply pleased to begin an important new partnership with the Community Foundation of Broward, which is led by its own impressive CEO, Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson. Together, these two organizations have enabled our local South Florida community to become both more dynamic and more livable — funding new solutions, building new pathways forward during these challenging times.

We are proud and honored to be associated with the Our Fund Foundation and the Community Foundation of Broward. And we pledge that the Humanity Project will do our very best to make sure they both are proud to be associated with our efforts. “Equality for each, respect for all,” that’s the Humanity Project. Those values along with self-worth are at the core of everything we do. We believe they are needed now more than ever.

A Child's Silent Cry

View fullsize

This file photo dramatizes the pain many children feel as a result of bullying by their peers. The Humanity Project’s acclaimed antibullying programs effectively reduce school bullying.

Editor's Note: This blog was written especially for the Humanity Project by Tracy Ikola, a freelance writer on health issues.

A Child’s Silent Cry: Turning Tragedy Into Change

by

Tracy Ikola, RN-MSN, CNL

For 13 years, I have dedicated my life to trauma and emergency nursing, witnessing incredible resilience and heartbreaking loss. In the ER, humanity reveals its rawest forms: pain, fear, hope, and sometimes tragedy. Some moments leave a lasting imprint, shaping how we see the world and our responsibility to one another.

One evening, a 12-year-old girl was rushed into our resuscitation bay. She had been found unresponsive in her bedroom, having used her Hello Kitty blanket to hang herself from her closet rack. For 45 agonizing minutes, we fought to bring her back. Despite our efforts, Jess* was gone.

I will never forget the silence after that code or the sight of her wrapped in that blanket. What once symbolized innocence and security became a heartbreaking testament to a pain no child should ever endure.

As the doctor spoke with her grieving parents, we learned the depth of her suffering. Jess had been relentlessly bullied at school. The cruel words, the exclusion, the quiet torment had chipped away at her until she believed she had no place in this world. I imagine she felt invisible. Unimportant. Alone.

Jess’ story reflects the gravity of the Humanity Project’s motto, “Equality for each, respect for all.” It is not just a slogan; it is a lifeline. It calls us to recognize that every human life has value, that every voice deserves to be heard, and that kindness has the power to save lives.

Bullying, discrimination and cruelty strip away dignity and self-worth, building a culture where individuals feel worthless. In children, they create isolation and the belief that they do not belong. But when children are surrounded by respect, they learn their value. When supported, they find the strength to overcome challenges. When they know they matter, they are less likely to be swallowed by despair.

This is more than just a tragedy; it is a call to action. We must be proactive in teaching people, especially children, that they are enough just as they are. That their worth is not defined by others' ideas. That they are seen, heard and loved. We must foster environments where respect is the foundation of every interaction, where cruelty bears no weight and kindness is the expectation, not the exception.

It starts with us. Talk to the people in your life about the power of respect. Teach children to recognize when someone is struggling. Encourage them to stand up for themselves and others. Support organizations like the Humanity Project that work to build a culture of self-worth and kindness. Every conversation, every act of compassion, every effort to uplift another person makes a difference.

That blanket serves as a painful reminder of how fragile a child’s sense of self can be when they feel unworthy. But it should also serve as a symbol of what we can change.

Let Jess’ silent cry push us to continue to build a world where no one feels invisible, unheard or unworthy. Let it remind us that kindness is not just a virtue but a responsibility we all share. Let us work together to ensure that no life is ever lost to the belief that they do not matter.

*Names and identifying information have been changed or withheld to protect privacy.