Here is Renee's interview with Cynthia Clegg, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County, Betsy Dean, Executive Director of Durham Middlefield Youth and Family Services, and Lynna Vo, Intern for Durham Middlefield Youth and Family Services!
They chat about the official kick-off to the 10th Annual Campaign For Bully-Free Communities, thanks to the Council of Business Partners at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County! They also detail the Stick to Kindness sticker campaign that Durham Middlefield Youth and Family Services have created to raise awareness for acts of kindness at school and in the community!
Listen to the full interview here:
For the past ten years, members of the Council of Business Partners at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County have worked with health professionals, educators and youth counselors to develop programs that help teachers, students, parents and school bus drivers recognize and prevent negative social behaviors. This year, council members are excited to continue their support of bullying prevention initiatives in partnership with local youth organizations. One in particular is the Durham Middlefield Youth and Family Services Stick to Kindness program.
Stick to Kindess (STK) Sticker Campaign
The idea for the Stick to Kindness (STK) sticker campaign began with a discussion we had with our interns (Lily BournevilWle and Sarah Collins) last summer around stress and anxiety that they and many of their friends feel every day. We spoke about how easy it is to be kind and show kindness to peers and in the community. We discussed what we could do to raise awareness about the act of kindness and what that might look like in the Durham Middlefield schools. The interns designed a simple logo for the stickers to kick off the campaign at Coginchaug High School. We staffed tables in the cafeteria where students could write simple acts of kindness they felt they could do in school on post it notes. Then they were put up on the wall for everyone to see. Anyone that participated got a STK sticker for their laptop, locker or car.
Phase 2 was nominating a classmate, teacher or staff person being “caught” doing something kind. The incentive was a Nalgene water bottle with the printed logo on the bottle. Everyone wanted one of those bottles! Valentine’s day came and our students designed the U R Not Alone sticker. The idea was that everyone at one time or another is going through stuff. The sticker is just a reminder that there is someone to listen when you just need to talk. Then we rolled out the community billboard: STK Logo with the text: Kindness Is A Choice We All Can Make.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE OR OTHER BULLYING PREVENTION PROGRAMS: