Stories from the Not In Our Town network. This week: Roz Seiden is an upstander in her community of Larkspur, CA. Watch her story.
upstanders
Stories from the Not In Our Town network. This week: Mike Schlesinger is an upstander in his community of Marshalltown, Iowa (pop. 28,000). Watch his story.
Not in Our School: a walk against hate
From Cleveland.com: The North Royalton Early Childhood PTA and students from the Early Childhood Center provide some community service for their peers in Newtown, CT
By Becki Cohn-Vargas, Not In Our School Director
After the massacre in Newtown, the National PTA launched a campaign to send snowflakes to Sandy Hook School. The result: thousands of snowflakes from all over the United States were delivered as a message of empathy and blanketed the grieving community.
Not In Our School shares stories of youth working to make the world a better place. We’re happy to share this opportunity to give voice to inspiring and daring young people by nominating them for the Peace First Prize.
By Eric D. Dawson
If you listen to the media, youth today are apathetic, technology addicts and just plain lazy. With the constant negative spotlight on our young people, it is sad, but not surprising to learn that according to a major analysis by the Berkeley Media Studies Group, less than 1% of news stories about young people are positive. Yet every day, I am privileged to hear stories defying that false expectation; stories of young peacemakers making positive and lasting change in their schools and communities.
Lancaster, CA continues Not In Our School campaign into its 3rd year! The city of Lancaster, CA, where a segment of our PBS documentary Not In Our Town: Class Actions was filmed, is in their third year of a community-wide NIOS Campaign! Students, teachers, and board members all participated in the Nov. 13 city council meeting to sign a proclamation against bullying in schools, according to the Antelope Valley Times. They signed banners renewing their pledge against bullying and promised to be upstanders whenever they see bullying occur. We are excited to watch the campaign’s continued success Lancaster!
This week in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, we are highlighting three stories of youth standing up to intolerance and violence.
Spread the Peace (Mother Caroline Academy)
Ariana's brother was killed in a drive-by shooting. Most of her classmates at Mother Caroline Academy in Dorchester, Massachusetts have been affected by violence. After watching "Not In Our Town" in a Facing History class, Ariana and her peers launch their own neighborhood “Spread the Peace” campaign to help stop the violence. (11 min 13 sec)
Students Teach Students to Stand Up to Bullying
At Shaw High School in East Cleveland, OH, students in Lori Urogody-Eiler's Facing History and Ourselves class mentor younger students in how to be an upstander, not a bystander, when faced with bullying and intolerant acts. (5 min 47 sec)