Stand for the Silent: Celebrating World Kindness Day and Addressing Bullying in Communities

Stand for the Silent, an organization helping to stop bullying, offers ways to promote kindness and anti-bullying

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – (November 4, 2024) – November 13, 2024, is World Kindness Day, a great time to focus on spreading kindness throughout our schools and communities. While it would be great not to need a day dedicated to reminding ourselves to be kinder, the statistics surrounding bullying support the idea that we indeed do need such a day. One anti-bullying organization is inspiring others to use the day to spread kindness and help reduce bullying.

“There is no place for kindness and bullying simultaneously,” says Kirk Smalley, co-founder of Stand for the Silent. “If we can get people focused on spreading kindness and having more empathy, we can help reduce bullying in our schools and communities.”

Research published in October 2024 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that a third of all teens surveyed say they were bullied within the last 12 months. The facts in their research survey put this critical issue in the spotlight and are shocking to parents, teachers, school administrators and community leaders. The bottom line is that we are failing our youth when it comes to this issue, which is taking a toll on their mental health.

According to the dictionary, kindness is the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate. Research published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine reports that kindness builds positive interpersonal connections and can uplift the giver and receiver. They also report that seeing kindness in action activates the neuropsychology of kindness, elevating the viewer and promoting generosity, interpersonal connections and inclusion. They also report that kindness increases feelings of happiness, calm and gratitude. 

Stand for the Silent is challenging schools and communities to spread kindness. Here are some ways they can do just that: 

• Kindness Challenges: Encourage students to perform random acts of kindness and share their experiences. Inspire them to spend the month being kind to others so they can see the difference it makes.
• Community Workshops: Host workshops focusing on empathy and the impact of bullying, featuring guest speakers or local leaders. Getting people involved is a great way to expand the efforts toward a kinder community.
• Social Media Campaigns: Utilize social media platforms to share messages of kindness and support, using hashtags like #KindnessMatters and #StandForTheSilent.
• Reward Kindness in Action: Schools and communities can catch random acts of kindness in action and reward them with acknowledgment or coupons for special treats at local businesses.
• Volunteer: Get groups of people who want to volunteer in the community together. By doing so, they will be modeling kindness.
• Form a Group: Schools and communities can form kindness groups that stand against bullying and work to create a kinder atmosphere for all. Anti-bullying activities can be held to raise awareness about anti-bullying and kindness.

“There is a lot that communities can do, but they have to do it and not just talk about it,” said Smalley. “We are happy to work with them to implement plans and make it happen. Creating a kinder community and school atmosphere is possible this World Kindness Day and all year.”

It is important for parents to make bullying an issue by opening a dialogue about it with their children, educating them about having empathy, and setting clear expectations regarding behavior. Stand For The Silent is committed to fostering kindness and preventing bullying in schools and communities. As we celebrate World Kindness Day, let’s come together to build a culture of compassion and support. For more information about Stand For The Silent and how to get involved, please visit www.standforthesilent.org.

Stand for the Silent has several programs they provide to the public to help prevent and eliminate bullying in schools and communities nationwide. They travel the country, delivering eye-opening seminars to students and offering other programs. Smalley started the anti-bullying organization with his late wife, Laura, after their 11-year-old son committed suicide due to bullying. Having turned their pain and loss into a mission of helping others, he travels the country giving presentations about bullying, among other things. The mission is to help end bullying by raising awareness, sharing the facts, and offering solutions.

Their Student Stand Out program encourages teachers to nominate students who stand out, display excellent behavior, and lead by example. Every week throughout the school year, Stand for the Silent will choose one of the nominated students to receive a $50 Visa gift card. At the end of each semester, one student will be selected to win a $100 Visa gift card. There will be two nomination periods, August 1 to December 1 and then from January 1 to April 1. Teachers can nominate as many students as they feel have earned the recognition. For more information about the Student Stand out program, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/schools/standout

Stand for the Silent travels the country, giving presentations about bullying to schools, providing bullying prevention, giving out scholarships, offering intervention strategies, and more. Those interested in getting involved can start a chapter of the group in their area, obtain a free K-2 bullying prevention curriculum or cyberbullying handbook for parents, host a presentation at their school, introduce the How All Started video, and donate to help support the cause. To get more information, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/

About Stand for the Silent

Started in 2010, Stand for the Silent is an organization on a mission to help eliminate bullying nationwide. Kirk and Laura Smalley founded the group after their child took his own life due to bullying. They offer free resources for parents and educators and travel to schools to host presentations. They have been to over 6,025 schools and spoken with more than 4.15 million students. To get more information, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/