teaching kids respect

One Child At A Time

At the Humanity Project, we believe in the individual. Humanity, afterall, is only a collection of individuals past, present and future. Our programs for both kids and adults focus on the value of every individual: “Equality For Each, Respect For All.”

Now we’re launching something new that gives more attention than ever to the individual. One child at a time. In November, the Humanity Project begins our own mentoring program, starting with two boys and one girl from Morrow Elementary School. Big thanks to our good friend, Guidance Counselor Mindy Nguyen, for helping us set this up. We view the mentoring as an expansion of our Humanity Club, which works intensively with young school leaders who in turn teach their classmates about respect-for-all, equality and antibullying. The three young kids chosen to begin our mentoring efforts each will partner with one member from the Humanity Project Board of Directors, connecting one-on-one weekly for special lessons focused on human values. We’ll teach these concepts wrapped up in games and discussions as well as through fun assignments in reading and writing. In this way, we advance their literacy skills as we help them better understand their own worth and the importance of other human beings.

So many children fell behind during this ongoing pandemic. Reading and writing are among the areas that especially suffered. We believe the Humanity Project can assist educators trying to make up this lost ground through our individual sessions. At the same time we further fulfill our mission by teaching a select group of kids “greater respect for the goodness and inherent value of humanity,” as our mission statement says. That includes helping them better appreciate their own value. To us, this seems an important new step forward as the Humanity Project turns 16-years-old in November. We hope to expand our mentoring program in the months and years ahead.

You Are Stardust

Hubble telescope image courtesy of NASA

How do you teach a young child concepts such as the importance of respect for every individual, the value of diversity and the need for self-worth? Ideas that even many adults couldn’t explain clearly …

At the Humanity Project, we teach through play: videos, music, games, roleplaying and more. Art inspires the emotion that helps concepts to stick in the mind. One of our arts-based ideas for teaching also is science-based. We show kids that among the many reasons each person deserves respect is this amazing fact: Most of the materials inside every human being are formed from stardust. Literally. Science knows that elements such as carbon, oxygen, iron and nearly everything else that makes up you and all of us can only be manufactured by the extreme temperatures created within stars.

That’s an extraordinary notion to learn — for kids and adults both. And so we suggest you check out our latest video, just posted on the Humanity Project YouTube channel. It is called simply, “You Are Stardust.” Watch the video!

It’s short, it’s engaging, it’s factual … and offers us one more way to connect with kids. It was made with help from our Humanity Club girls at Morrow Elementary, many of them appearing in the video. And now they will help us bring the video and a short talk about this topic to every student in their school, classroom by classroom. The goal is to encourage the entire student body to treat everyone in school with respect, part of our year-long Humanity Club project at Morrow. Kids teaching kids, kids helping kids … That’s what we do at the Humanity Project.