blogs about humanity

Kid Reactions

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

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

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.

Statement of Values In The New America

Note: The following statement of values by the Humanity Project was published in February 2025 as our response to new policies and executive actions in the United States and in Florida. It was written by Humanity Project Founder and President, Bob Knotts, and signed by all members of the Humanity Project Board of Directors.

Humanity Project Statement of Values in the New America

The Humanity Project is deeply disturbed by the severe social changes we see happening around us. Our 20-year-old nonprofit organization believes in the goodness and inherent value of every human being. But in the New America of 2025, provocative rhetoric and discriminatory policy are aimed squarely at undermining the worth of individuals whose social groups are targeted as undesirables by Washington and by our home state of Florida.

We reject those labels. And we speak out now as a reminder that all people deserve the respect due them as fellow members of humanity. No one is fundamentally defined by characteristics such as their race or religion, their gender or sexual orientation, their place of birth or their green card status. Science shows that each of us is unique and therefore uniquely valuable – a singular combination of genetics and experience with vast potential for good.

The Humanity Project also recognizes the importance of a diverse society where vulnerable minorities are treated fairly, with a robust understanding of the significant contributions made by their members. As such, we rise here in support of our friends within the transgender community as well as all other LGBTQ individuals today under broad political attack. We stand with wrongly demonized immigrant populations whose labors propel America’s economic engine. We see the worth of the disabled. And we hear the voices of all people, no matter their race or religion or gender, whenever they share their knowledge and talent to improve our society.

The Humanity Project believes the equal value of every individual must serve as a core concept for our nation and for our world, a guiding principle that allows us to welcome each human being to our shared endeavors. “Equality for each, respect for all” is the motto of our organization. We regard universal equality and unconditional respect as key tools to promote self-worth, the building block of every healthy and productive human psyche.

Policies and practices by government that seek to diminish any individual or any group are counterproductive to meaningful social development. So is the cascade of distortions and fabrications that spills daily from Washington and Tallahassee about our fellow citizens. In this New America, old ideas struggle to return – antiquated and disproven notions now celebrated for political gain. The Humanity Project urges more enlightened approaches to governance, with political leadership that recognizes the importance of uplifting its people and inspiring a hopeful future shared by everyone. In the end, the challenging project that is humanity must include us all.

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Our 20th Year

Yesterday, November 3 2024, the Humanity Project turned 19-years-old. And today, we begin our 20th year serving the community. We are proud of that. Let us give you a very abbreviated history as we look forward to expanding and celebrating in the consequential 12 months ahead:

  • Incorporated in Florida on November 3, 2005.

  • Began Humanity Project Podcast in March 2006.

  • Won IRS federal tax exemption in September 2006.

  • Organized and led the nation’s first mass children’s march against bullying: November 2008.

  • Began Antibullying Through The Arts program in March 2009.

  • Created original antibullying books given free to all teachers in schools that received our antibullying program: Summer 2010.

  • Antibullying book and other program materials given free to schools nationwide after Time Magazine for Kids published an article celebrating the Humanity Project: October 2010.

  • Created I Care program to teach respectful driving to teens and parents: February - June 2012.

  • Created thp4kids.com website for LGBTQ teens and other youth seeking guidance and self-worth: October 2012 - May 2013.

  • Created new materials for the I Care program, including a new component for parents: I Care: Just Help Them Drive: 2013-2016.

  • Created Humanity Club as a live version of the thp4kids.com website, teaching middle school student leaders to create an atmosphere where all students feel valued and welcome: Fall 2015 - Spring 2016.

  • Received federally registered trademark for the name, “The Humanity Project”: February 2018.

  • Expanded Humanity Club to elementary schools: Fall 2018.

  • Created “Humanity Gardens” at schools, libraries and parks: Spring 2019 - present.

  • Revised mission statement and wrote new trademarked logo: “Equality for each, respect for all”: Summer 2019.

  • Held “Goodstock,” an all-day fundraising concert with multiple bands and dancers on the 50th anniversary of Woodstock: August 2019.

  • Organized and led virtual library meetings that brought together diverse segments of the community during the pandemic to seek mutual understanding: Fall 2020 - Spring 2021.

  • Expanded Humanity Club to more schools: Fall 2022 - present.

  • Organized and led effort to rename Oakwood Park as “Humanity Park”: Fall 2022 - Spring 2024.

  • Won renaming of “Humanity Park” in collaboration with Hollywood LGBTQ Council: May 2024.

Humanity Project Board of Directors at Humanity Park

The list above is just a small fraction of our achievements in the past 19 years. During that time we have taught the value of self-worth, equality and respect-for-all to tens of thousands of students from grades K - 12. And even to some groups of college students. We have reduced traffic crashes and prevented injuries and perhaps even some deaths thanks to our unique I Care program, sponsored by State Farm. We have created numerous original and innovative videos, musical works, blogs, podcasts, fables and other writings, sharing them worldwide at no cost through our sponsor, Google. We have carried our uplifting ideas to local audiences through live talks and to more than 11,000 followers around the globe through our social media on Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads and Tumblr. And more, much more.

We hope you take pride in supporting the Humanity Project, an organization dedicated to spreading a positive message about the goodness and inherent value of every human being. And as we begin our 20th year, we thank you for that vital support, whether it comes through donations or volunteer work or simply by following us here and on the internet. We believe in you. We are grateful that you also believe in us.

Hope For A Better Future

Many of us worry about our troubled world. As adults, we look around and fret, confronted by obstacles along humanity’s path that often appear overwhelming. The climate has changed undeniably in frightening ways. Right wing dictators and hope-to-be despots have sprouted in the United States as well as in many other nations. News reports are pocked with violent images, day after week after month. Political ideologies divide neighbors, friends and families. Where can we look for hope?

At the Humanity Project, we find hope for the future in drawings like the one above — a lovely painting created for our Humanity Club by a fifth grade student in a public school. And we discover hope in our discussions with children these days: their eagerness to help others, their refusal to succumb to racist stereotypes, their openness to new ideas, their belief that the decades ahead can be better than the decades into which they were born.

You may have heard similarly hopeful comments from others who work with today’s children. The kids truly are different than we were in significant respects, perhaps in part because many have been forced to grow up so much faster than the children of our early years. The internet and social media, school gun violence, parenting styles and more surely have contributed to the greater maturity of modern kids. They tend to be much more informed about things such as sexuality and drugs, politics and race. Young people also are taken much more seriously than during our childhood, some of them seizing opportunities to influence national and international affairs. Think of Malala on education equality, for instance, or Greta on climate challenges. We read about important innovations and inventions by middle school students. That kind of impact was virtually unattainable to the youth of previous eras.

So yes, we find hope in our kids. Not because they are young but because they are aware and determined. Many many of them want to be part of the solutions to our problems — we see this attitude all the time among our Humanity Club kids. We look at their enthusiasm, we listen to their wisdom. And we are inspired — and hopeful. For one more example from our Humanity Project students, check out the short poem below by an elementary school student. Maybe it can help some of us to worry less than we do about the future. The kids of our world? Hey, they’ve got this.

Humanity Club

See that photo, a fifth grade student helping a younger child? This is one example of the Humanity Project’s acclaimed “Humanity Club” program. And so we offer you this latest peek into the program as a way of saying “Thank you” to every person and organization that supports the Humanity Project in any way. You make it possible for us to give away this program for free to schools in our community.

Humanity Club is about inspiring feelings of confidence and self-worth in youngsters. We handpick fifth grade student leaders, then help them to recognize their own value and the value they can share with others. This is accomplished through discussions, stories, videos, music, games, roleplaying and more. Once our kids have a firm grasp of their own worth, they find ways to teach younger kids at their school about self-worth as well as equality and respect for all human beings. We’ve been offering this program for more than 12 years now — and it works. You don’t have to believe us about the Humanity Club’s success. Just check out some of our many testimonials. As one school principal wrote to us: “Students have learned how to identify bullying, how to prevent bullying, and how to build positive relationships through interactive events led by the Humanity Club student leaders. Since the induction of the program, we have seen a reduction in behavioral incidents, particularly in 4th and 5th grades, by 47%.” We call that measurable success. And, again, it’s possible only through your support for the Humanity Project — whether that’s through direct donations, volunteering, sponsoring a child or simply following us on social media. It all helps. “Equality for each, respect for all.” That’s the Humanity Project.

An Inspiring Example

We want to offer a big Humanity Project “thank you” to our new friends in Toronto, Canada — Wow Digital Inc. In a recent Instagram post on their popular IG page, Wow Digital created a lovely (and unsolicited) nine-page post about our organization. We’ve reposted and also sent the link to some friends. The response has been very positive indeed.

This is just part of what those media-savvy folks told their Instagram visitors: “The Humanity Project sets an inspiring example of how non-profits can communicate their values and mission clearly, openly, and consistently… an organization that integrates technology into the communities they serve… They are transparent in their beliefs and accomplishments throughout their content. And don’t miss their epic video content!”

We’re very grateful to Wow Digital for their generous interest in the Humanity Project — and our efforts to promote “equality for each, respect for all.” And when the time comes that we need their expertise to keep us on the right track, we’ll be sure to connect with these experts. Meanwhile, we’ll continue to value their friendship and collaboration in our mutual efforts to make this planet a wiser, healthier, more respectful place for all of us to live. Thanks, Wow Digital!


A Valued Addition

Celia Negron Marino

The Humanity Project is very pleased to welcome Celia Negron Marino to our distinguished Board of Directors. She brings to us her extensive experience with educating both adults and children — and a passion for improving the lives of individuals.

An educator for more than 30 years, Celia has taught students at many levels – from elementary school to high school to adult education. Her focus has been both on teaching ESOL classes (English as a second language) and training other ESOL educators. After developing and teaching adult education at a Long Island community school and at York College Queens in New York City, she began her long career in Broward County, Florida schools. Celia has served as Broward ESOL Council president, ESOL trainer for the district’s Cross Cultural Course and as New Teacher Mentor & Coordinator. A curriculum specialist, she has worked extensively in elementary schools coaching and training regular education and ESOL teachers.

The addition of Celia Negron Marino also helps our efforts to make our Board of Directors as diverse as possible. Not only do we have more women than men among our directors, we also boast diversity in sexual orientation, ethnic background and professional experience. Celia is originally from Puerto Rico, strengthening our ties to the Hispanic community that’s so well represented in our South Florida home base. We believe she will make important contributions to the ongoing work of the Humanity Project to promote “equality for each, respect for all.” Welcome aboard, Celia! We look forward to working with you.

Humanity Park

Humanity Park

The Humanity Project is very proud to make a major announcement: We now can welcome you to “Humanity Park”!

After more than one and a half years of effort, Oakwood Hills Park in Hollywood, Florida has been officially renamed Humanity Park. We’ve done this in close partnership with our good friends at the Hollywood LGBTQ Council — with big thanks to Todd Delmay, Lisa Tumminello and Jeff Oliverio of the Council. We also are very grateful to Commissioner Anderson and the entire Hollywood City Commission for their unanimous support of this name change.

As Humanity Project Founder and President, Bob Knotts, told the commission before their vote: "Humanity Park will invite you, invite anyone, to feel at home. Humanity Park will offer peace and community because it will very clearly tell you that peace and community live there, among the soft grass and the stately old tree limbs. We can make it a place for renewed hope in our own humanity and the humanity of others precisely by making those ideas central and unmistakable throughout the park. Humanity Park can become a symbol of a welcoming and changed Hollywood..."

In his remarks to the commission, Todd Delmay had this to say: "The Hollywood LGBTQ Council has been partners with The Humanity Project almost since we began. When they came to us with the idea for renaming and re-imagining this park we were excited to get on board. We feel the idea of a Humanity Park is also consistent with our mission, and that of Hollywood’s Founder Joseph Young, for Hollywood to be a place for everyone. Special thanks to Commissioner Anderson and our friends at the Liberia Civic Association for their support. We look forward to approval of the name change and joining you all at the re-opening."

We are very excited to involve the local community in our new project — to explore ideas and enlist volunteers to help us transform this pretty but ordinary park into something truly unique and special for everyone who visits. Nothing has been decided yet, of course, but among possibilities for changes to Humanity Park are, perhaps, to paint sidewalks and benches in bright colors; create a dog park; add a free book exchange; create a water feature or Zen garden. Or anything else the community would like to see there. We can’t wait to get to work … and then to hold a grand re-opening. Stay tuned. You’ll be hearing a lot about our new Humanity Park in the months ahead. Just one more way we promote “Equality For Each, Respect For All!”



Nonprofit Integrity

We are less than one month into 2024, as this blog is written. But the Humanity Project already has earned a 2024 Candid Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, the highly respected national nonprofit information service. This means the Humanity Project is open about our practices and our finances. It means our organization operates with integrity. And it means you can have confidence when donating to our work to “inspire greater respect for the goodness and inherent value of humanity”… our mission. The Humanity Project is now in our 19th year, founded in 2005. During this entire period we’ve taken pride in maintaining high ethical standards. We use the money from our wonderful sponsors and individual donors in ways that further our mission. That’s one reason we get funding from important organizations such as State Farm and The Our Fund Foundation, among others. A big thank you, then, to GuideStar for this 2024 demonstration of support for the Humanity Project. We will do our best to justify their opinion of our nonprofit and the vital work we do. “Equality for each, respect for all.”

Welcome 2024

Yes… A hearty welcome indeed to 2024. (Can it really be we’re nearly a quarter century into this millennium?) The Humanity Project enters our new year hopeful. And excited on many fronts.

You’ll be hearing in the coming months about some of our latest efforts, which include bold new additions to our State Farm-sponsored I Care program. We’ll unveil those changes early in 2024. Then there’s our planned Humanity Park. We’ve been working on this project for several months in partnership with our good friends at the Hollywood LGBTQ Council. Since it’s not a done deal quite yet, we’ll save most of the details for later. But we now have very strong support from key officials and neighbors in Hollywood, Florida … and we expect to receive final approvals for our renamed city park within a few weeks. We’ll keep you posted. For now, just know that we plan to transform a large city park into something very special for all residents and visitors alike — a welcoming, warm, safe refuge from our troubled world for everyone who enters Humanity Park.

Our Humanity Club and Antibullying Through The Arts programs have expanded in the 2023-24 school year with vital support from the Our Fund Foundation and Floatarama, among others. Those programs resume as soon as the kids return to classes. And we’ll be out and about in the community more in 2024 as well, with speaking engagements, event appearances and other outreach efforts. These are only some of the reasons we’re hopeful and excited as 2024 begins. Please join our work to promote “equality for each, respect for all” by signing our Pledge for Humanity on this website. May this new year bring all of us more peace, more health, more compassion and more hope.

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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