Anti-Bullying Through the Arts

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

The Humanity Project’s nationally acclaimed Anti-bullying Through The Arts program is special — we reach out and connect bystander students with bullying victims, helping the uninvolved kids to understand why their involvement is essential. As we always tell the elementary school kids who see our program, “Bullying hurts everyone in this school — and it takes everyone to stop it!”

We have a new video we hope you’ll watch, just 60 seconds long. In that single minute, our Gabriela Pinto tells you her thoughts about helping us present Anti-bullying Through The Arts to thousands of children. More than 15,000 young students so far and counting. We hope you’ll check out the video and pass along the link. And also let your local elementary school know about the Humanity Project’s terrific program, please.

Teens (and Others) Helping Teens

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

It always is gratifying to see teens helping other teens, reaching out in ways that improve young lives. Or even save young lives. As 2014 begins, the Humanity Project is getting lots of help from our teen friends…because of invaluable funding from our great community partner, State Farm.

Yes, State Farm awarded us a new $10,000 grant in January to expand our terrific I Care: Just Let Me Drive teen driver safety program.That State Farm money already is bringing results, with assistance from teens themselves … and from adults too. These new efforts include:

• Barry University has five sociology students taking I Care into South Florida high schools.
• Florida SADD chapters are developing plans to use I Care in their programs – and already are getting our I Care books for free.
• A major Florida Teen Traffic Court now has 100 copies of our I Care book for case managers plus a PDF of the book in their case manager resource file. It’s one of only two such courts in the state.

Many other exciting initiatives are underway too – all thanks to State Farm … and our teen volunteers. For more information about State Farm, visit www.statefarm.com. And for more info on teens working to save the lives of their peers, stay tuned. We’ll keep you posted!

'No Bullying Around'

January 7, 2014: Our program at Lloyd Estates Elementary, Oakland Park, Florida

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

Those are the words from the Humanity Project’s original rap song, the musical number that begins our acclaimed Anti-bullying Through The Arts program: “We want no bullying around!” the rappers sing out to our elementary school audiences.

Today I just wanted to let you know that our program is back in action, doing what it does best. Yep, on just the second day of the winter/spring semester your Humanity Project returned to the schools with our important lesson. We teach kids that, “Bullying hurts everyone in this school … and it takes everyone to stop it!” 

Our Board of Directors member, Gabriela Pinto, was joined by respected Florida actor, Lindsey Forgey, at Lloyd Estates Elementary School here in South Florida. With two presentations at the school this week, Anti-bullying Through The Arts now has reached more than 15,000 school children in South Florida alone, with elements of the program helping thousands of other kids from California to Vermont.

We are proud of the impact our efforts make — something we check with each anti-bullying presentation through pre/post testing carried out by the schools. Those test results show dramatic improvements by these youngsters in understanding basic anti-bullying concepts. We believe this knowledge will stick in their minds as they move into middle school, where bullying typically is the worst. If you’d like us to visit your school or want to learn more about our free anti-bullying materials, just go to the “Contact” page on this website and send us an email. Our program is powerful, memorable and fun. And most importantly, it works.

Socially Isolated Youth Get Cool Website

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

There will be a new look for a new year, all aimed at offering insight and encouragement to socially isolated youth. Our www.thp4kids.com website will unveil a major kid-friendly facelift in a matter of weeks. We think it will attract more students to the site, based on early comments by teenagers themselves.

The changes are being drawn up by talented web design students at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida under their teacher, Madeline Rosario. This is happening only several months after the site launched online.This website is the Humanity Project’s Internet home for kids who feel alone and lonely. It’s also a place for young people dealing with sexual identity issues or things like suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, cutting … whatever the problem may be.

Of course thp4kids stands for “The Humanity Project 4 Kids” and it already offers great content for youth from about ages 12-17-years-old, created by high school students for their peers. Blogs, videos, poetry, music, games, interactive content and more. All of it original, all of it with a sophisticated but age-appropriate approach intended to appeal to the young folks we want to help: smart, lonely, perhaps bullied, perhaps struggling with emotional conflicts. It teaches these youngsters that they’re not alone, that other students have dealt with similar troubles — and overcome them. Take a look for yourself by clicking on this link. Our website was created with a generous grant from the State Farm Youth Advisory Board, by the way. Stay tuned for the big announcement and the redesigned website! It is even edgier, bolder and more daring. We think kids will love it — and will feel more inclined to return to thp4kids often for the guidance they need.

From Us ... To You

A joyful, healthy, productive and constructive 2014 to everyone … from everyone at the Humanity Project!

An Invisible Butterfly?

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

The Humanity Project is proud of our programs and other contributions to improve the world we live in. One of our unique offerings is a set of fables, eleven sophisticated but simple and brief stories for adults. Each  one deals with living life more fully by focusing not on “me” but rather on “us.” The latest fable was just posted and we wanted to share part of it with you here, hoping you will go to the link on this website to read the rest. It is called “The Tale of the Invisible Butterfly”:

How does it happen that a butterfly becomes invisible? Invisibility attends beauty more often than you may think, my friend, a cloak that often hides the unique beauties, the profound beauties of this world. True beauty noticed by no one. Yes, it happens around us every day – and not only to butterflies.

So you may find some small interest in this small story of one smallish yellow butterfly who outgrew her yellow smallishness. And as she turned beautiful, uniquely and profoundly beautiful, she instantly became invisible. (Read the rest of this story for yourself by clicking on the menu link above that says … “Fables.”)

Listening to the Change

Visit our I Care website too: www.thehumanityproject.com/icare

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

Things are slowly changing in the United States — and I suspect in some other countries too. Changing attitudes about the way we drive. Yes, it’s true that far too many drivers pay little attention to handling a car when they’re on the highways. They check email, text friends, talk to business associates and whatever else. Eating a hamburger? Why not? Cranking up the tunes to deafening volumes? What’s the problem, right? Except that, slowly slowly slowly, those attitudes are evolving. More and more folks recognize the profound dangers of distracted driving.

At the Humanity Project, we are dong our part to help. Specifically, our unique I Care: Just Let Me Drive program for teen drivers is reaching more and more of the young people who need it. And their parents too. We now have another way that you can quickly and easily learn more about I Care. Our latest podcast offers selections from our I Care program, with a few brief readings from the teen-created I Care book. You’ll also hear the complete rap song that our teen artists wrote and performed, a cool tune they turned into an animated video on our I Care website. And we chat during the podcast with Jose Soto of State Farm, the public-spirited company that’s the major sponsor of I Care.

To listen to the new podcast, just click here.We call the show, “Driver Safety Lessons Teens Remember.” And this is exactly what I Care: Just Let Me Drive is all about. We avoid scare tactics and instead offer driver safety lessons that are fun and funny. And memorable, all of it made by teens for their peers. We believe I Care can prevent accidents, injuries and deaths. You can help us do that by spreading the free I Care program to the teens in your life — and you may want to start by listening to the new podcast to hear what it’s all about.  Thanks so much. We appreciate anything you can do to let teens and families know about I Care.

My Thoughts on Bullying (A Student's View)

(Editor’s Note: This blog was written especially for the Humanity Project, offering a student perspective on bullying — with solid advice that is useful for both adults and youthful readers.)

BY ESTHER CALIXTE, Barry University

Growing up I personally experienced bullying. When I was in grade school I was constantly bullied by other kids because of my weight. I always told the teacher but she never believed me. The teacher always told me,  “You’re big enough to defend yourself.” I was bullied verbally and sometimes physically. The kids would push me and laugh at me, and when I fell, they would tease me even more. I never told anyone else because I was too embarrassed. I always asked myself, “How can someone my size be bullied?” I was afraid all the time and I didn`t know who to go to. One day I finally told my mother and she went to the school and reported the kids and the teacher that never reported it. Speaking up helped my situation. If I had told my mother earlier, the bullying would’ve stopped. Everyone has the right to live their lives however they want to. So, here are some tips I offer for others:

1. Speak up!!!!! Don`t be afraid to defend someone that you see being bullied. Speak your mind — shout if you have to, run and go get help. Go ahead, any little thing helps. Helping a victim from being bullied is saving a life.  We are all responsible for everyone in this world. We must get together as a whole to stop this madness.
2. Look out for the warning signs of bullying: Unexplained injuries, lost or destroyed personal items, changes in eating habits, and avoidance of school or other social situations can all be signs of bullying. Pay close attention to your friends and family because victims tend to hide warning signs due to the fact that the bully probably threatened that telling anyone will make it worse for the person being bullied.
3. Never ignore the situation. If you see it, report it. You can help, believe it or not. Whenever a student feels threatened in any way, take it seriously, and assure the student that you are here for them and will help. When you don`t take the situation seriously the problem gets bigger.
4. Parents, teachers, mentors, and leaders can also help stop bullying throughout the world by educating their children, students and mentees about bullying. People have the right to know what they are supposed to do when they’re being bullied. Create pep rallies in schools for anti-bullying. Creating activities can inform the victims and the bullies that something can and will be done about bullying.
5. Artists and actors have taken bullying to another level in the United States. Lady Gaga once said: “I’ve been actually really very pleased to see how much awareness was raised around bullying, and how deeply it affects everyone. You know, you don’t have to be the loser kid in high school to be bullied. Bullying and being picked on comes in so many different forms”.

Bullying has become a serious matter throughout the U.S and we need people like you to speak up, stand up and help stop bullying. You never know what a little word can do in someone’s life.

A Faithful Friend to Kids

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

(Editor’s Note: This post is adapted from the December 2013 Humanity Project email newsletter, Humanity News. You can sign up to receive the free newsletter once each month by clicking on the “Go” button in the right-hand column of this home page under “Sign up for our Email Newsletter.” We ask only for your email address.)

It’s always wonderful when you feel you can count on a friend. For the Humanity Project, one of our loyal longtime friends is Children’s Services Council of Broward County.Last month, they sponsored the Humanity Project’s Anti-bullying Through The Arts program for the sixth consecutive year.

Our thanks, as always, to CEO Cindy Arenberg Seltzer as well as Chief Communication Officer Sandra Bernard-Bastien and their great staff of professionals. Their support, and their friendship, mean a lot to THP — and to the children of our community. We have worked alongside CSC on a variety of projects for many years now. We also have conducted trainings for CSC, showing other nonprofits how they can attract young people to afterschool programs. They help many valuable organizations to help others in South Florida, where the Humanity Project is based.

As they explain on their website, “The Children’s Services Council is an organization created to plan, coordinate and fund services for and on behalf of the children of Broward County. The Council is an independent taxing authority which was established by a public referendum passed on September 5, 2000 … The CSC’s focus is Broward’s children. We are a special government created by the voters of Broward County in September, 2000 to provide leadership, coordination and funding for services for and on behalf of children.” For more information about Children’s Services Council of Broward County, visit their website by clicking here.Thank you, CSC!

Anti-Bullying, by Memory

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

Our blog today is going to be brief. Mostly because I hope you’ll go to the YouTube link and check this out for yourself.

I’d rather have you do that than read lots of text.

And here’s what you’ll see: The Humanity Project’s clever original hand sign to help stop bullying. It’s part of our highly acclaimed Anti-bullying Through The Arts program, which we teach to kids in grades K – 5. So yes, this is for elementary school children. We came up with the idea in 2010 as a memory aid to reinforce our main message: “Bullying hurts everyone in this school … and it takes everyone to stop it!”

Our program has helped 15,000 kids

You’ll see that this Humanity Project hand sign is fun and memorable for young kids — they often walk out of the room repeating the gesture after our program, in fact. We hope you will pass along this video link to families and teachers who may be able to teach the anti-bullying hand sign to their kids. And we hope you will remember to let them know it came from us … the Humanity Project! Thanks!

100 Podcasts and Counting!

Matt Corey engineers a Humanity Project Podcast

POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS

It’s true! Our latest podcast is Number 100 for the Humanity Project Podcast. We began doing these in March 2006, when we still had to explain to most people what a podcast was. We don’t have to do that now, of course.

For our 100th edition, I chatted with our producer/engineer, Matt Corey, who owns Zebra Studios in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It’s where we record our shows and also some of the original music we use during the podcasts. (ALL music you hear in these podcasts is original, composed and performed by the Humanity Project … including our charming theme music that opens and closes each program.)

Matt Corey is also Vice President of the Humanity Project Board of Directors and CEO of Insight for the Blind, which records Talking Books for the Library of Congress. He’s a highly talented, delightful guy — and a good friend. I think you may enjoy our conversation and the fun ukulele music we performed during the show. Each podcast is sponsored by State Farm, one of the Humanity Project’s major sponsors. We appreciate their support, as always. If you have not listened to any of these programs, we feel sure you’ll find them entertaining and informative, with commentary and interviews and even some Humanity Project news mixed in.

Check them out by clicking here: Listen to the Humanity Project Podcast. And if you like what you hear, please pass along the link to your friends and family. Now, it’s on to the next 100 podcasts!

Bridging Humanity with Love

Tina Cornely teaches a young Nepal monk to turn trash into art-for-sale

POSTED BY: TINA CORNELY

(Editor’s Note: This guest blog was written for the Humanity Project by Tina Cornely, founder and CEO of the nonprofit group Bridging Humanity. Read more about Ms. Cornely in her bio at the end of this blog.)

A friend recently asked me to expand on why I founded Bridging Humanity. Initially I was not too keen about the idea of starting yet another nonprofit. There were already enough of them out there and I wondered to myself, do we really need another one? Rosa de la Cruz, a friend and supporter, strongly urged me to reconsider my position on the matter. There were other strong community leaders suggesting I take the plunge. Charity work was nothing new to me. I was the past Chair of the Friends of the Orphans local chapter and had already spent a lifetime of vacations volunteering at orphanages around the world.

Once the decision was made, the doing became effortless. Bridging Humanity is essentially what the name implies and in effect is the embodiment of Karuna. One of the principles of Karuna is to help the weak become strong. But, how do you accomplish this? This question would change the course of my career path as I struggled and endeavored to better understand the challenges faced by the poor here in the U.S. and abroad. This new course led me to many exciting discoveries as I started to realize and understand, it really is not that hard. If you have the Will, the Universe will help you find the Way. To really make a meaningful difference, a holistic and all encompassing approach is the answer.

Essentially I teach the poor how to grow their own food and prepare nutritious balanced meals. Cooking food is challenging in developing countries so I teach the poor how to make eco friendly briquettes or bamboo charcoal. Additionally bamboo is a prolific plant and can deter deforestation. Contaminated water is the number one killer of children world wide and this simply should not be! Purifying water is as easy as sealing contaminated water in a clear plastic bottle and leaving it in the sun for 4 hours. Conversely millions of women die each year from child birth because family planning medicine is a luxury the poor can’t afford. This should not be when the solution is as simple as a fertility necklace! A calendar based necklace that helps women manage their menstrual cycle so they know when they can get pregnant. Trash is a valuable resource that is available in abundance in developing countries. Repurposing trash into useful items is a way for the poor to earn a living. These are just a few examples of ways one can help the poor become more self sufficient. If you want to help the poor then I urge you to read Bridging Humanity’s “Nine Steps to Eradicate Poverty.” Please join us in this important endeavor. Your expertise, time, connections and donations are of great value. Click here to visit our website and let us know how you would like to get more involved to help make a difference in the lives of orphaned children and the less fortunate. Our next trip is just around the corner. Each year we visit Haiti at Christmas so the homeless children who live in the tent city of the Cite de Soleil are not forgotten. We could really use your help rounding up toy donations and school supplies.

About the Author: Tina Cornely was born in St. Mary’s, Georgia, and educated in Honduras, Switzerland and the United States. She is an enthusiastic humanitarian, environmental activist and eco artist. She specialized her business career in the fields of technology, education & museum administration. She is the former Director of Technology of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the former Operations Director of the Miami Art Museum in Miami and a 16 year veteran teacher from the University of Miami, Florida. Ms. Cornely for more than three decades has made her home in Miami, where her creativity and passion for the less fortunate continues to grow and expand. She has been on the board of trustees of the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance for 6 years and is the past Chair of the Friends of the Orphans Southeastern Region. She currently is the Founder & CEO of Bridging Humanity, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching the less fortunate how to become self sufficient.