Hero: One who shows great courage. The Heroes Project celebrates people who want to create a world where everyone feels safe to be who they want to be. The first group of heroes below is a small collection of everyday people who chose to do something incredible, often with support from their friends and family. The courage they have demonstrated is deserving of recognition. A special thanks to our new group of friends who we welcome to the Sprigeo Team.
~ The Sprigeo Team
Hi, Iʼm Graeme Taylor. You might know me from my appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I am a 15-year-old boy who lives with his father, mother and sister in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
No one should have to wake up in the morning and go to school worrying about being bullied. I believe that if a childʼs life is being made miserable by another in school, it is up to each student and educator to do whatever it takes to stop the bullying.
I happen to be gay, and youʼve probably heard about the suicides of gay or perceived- to-be gay youth who have been bullied. It is a heartbreaking epidemic that could be stopped cold today if kids chose to respect each other regardless of their differences.
I invite you to join me in imagining a world that is smarter, safer and kinder for EVERYONE!
Thatʼs why I am encouraging you and your friends to ask yourselves this question: How can we help?
The answer is found in action. Be a leader and propose to the educators at your school you want to create or improve anti-bullying strategies. There are plenty of resources and ideas waiting for you, but you have to take that first step.
When should you begin?
One of my personal heroes is Anne Frank, and she said it best: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
Wishing you a safe journey,
Graeme
Meet Max, our newest hero who is making a difference in his community and beyond.
He is the founder of Me Infinity which is a clothing line with the important message to “Be yourself forever” by not giving in to peer pressure. Wearing a t-shirt with this message validates that you are just as important as the next person and shows strength against bullying.
In this interview with Sprigeo, Max explains how he was cyber-bullied and didn’t feel safe at school which led him to start a website and a line of t-shirts with his message of empowerment. Me Infinity t-shirt sales support the Megan Meier Foundation.
Max thinks it would be great if Me Infinity “just helps one person” with it’s message. We are confident that many kids are already benefiting from Max’s efforts. Join us in applauding Max and welcoming him as one of Sprigeo’s Heroes!
Max – Me Infinity from Sprigeo on Vimeo.
In the spirit of true heroism, this group from West Virginia takes on the challenge of bullying and culture with music. Father son duo, Gary and Aidan McDaniel join a group of musicians to create this song. Enjoy!
This is the story of an amazing young man who went out of his way to make a difference in his community and school. 9 years old at the time, Izach Butler reached out to Kirk Smalley from Stand for the Silent to do a speaking event in the attempt to eradicate bullying through awareness and education. Not only did Izach manage to bring Kirk in, he created a movement. The following is an excerpt from one of Izach’s followers on Facebook: “[Izach] is doing amazing things to help others and our New Castle Community to get bullying out of our schools. We as a community need to be rallying behind him and make people listen! Thank you Izach Butler..we are proud of you!”.
Izach Butler campaigning for SFTS
This is an excerpt from Stand for the Silent’s Website:
“You see, 10-year-old Izach is tired of bullying. Not just the bullying he’s experienced, but the bullying he knows is being endured by others. So he thought long and hard about what to do and decided he was going to handle things himself. As a result, Izach has spent his entire summer holding fundraisers, rummage sales, car washes, etc. to raise enough money to pay travel expenses for SFTS to come to his town.
And he hasn’t stopped there. Izach is determined to help SFTS carry this fight far beyond New Castle, IN. He has already earned enough to pay expenses for this trip, but is still working to collect donations. We at SFTS are honored to know Izach ‘End Bullying’ Butler and have him on our side.”
By the end of the fundraising, which involved car washes, meetings with the Mayor, among many other things, Izach was able to raise over $5,000. Wow! What an amazing story. And the lesson of this story is that anybody can make a change; anyone can take a situation into their own hands, and create a movement that truly makes a difference in thousands of people’s lives.
Once I got home, I transfered the footage into Windows Movie Maker, used my list to put it in order, and then added some text and music before I uploaded it to Vimeo. That whole process took me about an hour.
Two days later, the video was show school-wide in the Olweus anti-bullying session that were being held in each classroom.
Shyanne is very passionate about using the song to help stop bullying, which has become a wide spread epidemic facing kids all over the world today. Proceeds from the song will go to various anti-bully organizations that Shyanne is partnering with globally.
While attending the first Gay-Straight Alliance meeting of the school year on Sep. 18, a fellow student at my high school, Kelsey, told me about a video from the website allout.org. As the number of bullying awareness initiatives increases across the country, many organizations such as allout.org are developing activities that guide educators, parents, students, and citizens in their fight against this national epidemic. The result was a video as a part of the “Going All Out” Campaign.
Tiara’s actions just go to show that taking a stand against bullying is as simple as being inspired to act, getting a little guidance from great friends and teachers, and pouring a lot of passion into that which you are doing. Hopefully Tiara, Kelsey and Jessica’s actions will be the inspiration for you to act up against bullying!
A little bit about Tiara, Kelsey & Jessica:
Tiara Nock
Tiara is a 17 year old senior at Delsea Regional High School in Franklinville, NJ. She is involved in many clubs and activities such as theater, dance, the National Art Honor Society, YODA (Youth Organized for Disaster Assistance), and the Delta Eta Sigma service fraternity. Other than making the “Going All Out” bullying video for her high school, her greatest memories – by far – involve volunteering for her community and helping those in need. Tiara is looking forward to go to college to study English and Communications. Her dream job is to work in New York City for a major magazine publisher.
Kelsey Romeo
Kelsey Romeo is a 17 year old senior at Delsea Regional High School in Franklinvillle, NJ. She is involved in many activities at her school including the Key Club, the school musicals, the Delsea Marching Band (Color Guard Captain), and her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (Co-Student Leader). After she graduates, Kelsey plans on majoring in acting to receive her BFA. She then wants to attend graduate school to get a master’s in Theater Education.
Jessica Ippolito
Dr. Jessica Ippolito has been an English teacher at Delsea Regional High School in Franklinville, NJ since 1995. For the past seven years she has been serving as the volunteer adviser for the Gay-Straight Alliance. The motto of the GSA, “Educate and Advocate,” is one that runs through all of their meetings and projects. Along with monthly activities, Delsea’s GSA students also participate in the national Day of Silence, they create a front-lobby display for LGBT History month, have created the video/Facebook campaign “Names CAN Hurt Me,” they attend the annual James Wheeler Youth Panel at the Equality Forum in Philadelphia, and have raised close to $4,000 in the past three years for the charitable organization, The Gabriel Project.
In the summer of 2011, Dr. Ippolito founded the international social experiment http://www.handsupthepose.com which is now an organization where people around the world can help charities earn donations from sponsors by just putting their hands up in pictures.
The Interview with Sprigeo!
Inspiring! So now that you have seen what others have done, write in and let us know what YOU have done!
We had the privilege of meeting with a few members of the Blake School, Justice League. The Justice League was formed to support work that recognizes and values the different lived experiences of individuals in our community, to acknowledge systems of privilege and oppression that exist related to various aspects of identity, and to endeavor to root out injustice and seek equity through action, education and support.
Members of the Justice League are expected to participate in educational experiences that allow them to grow in their understanding of systems of privilege and oppression. Weekly meetings serve to further learn from each other and provide support and feedback to them in their work. Each Justice League member is involved in an action plan that is carried out in the community during the school year. Ultimately, the Justice League strives to actively participate in the creation of a courageous, engaged learning community.
Read more about the Justice League
Interview Part 1
Interview Part 2
