Success Stories

The Humanity Project has many many many success stories. We’re talking here about the progress of individuals helped by our programs, especially young people. Kids who start to believe in themselves. Teens who become leaders. Children of all ages who understand empathy and respect in meaningful ways. We’ve also helped parents learn to be better role models. And adults around the world to feel inspired by the deeper value of humanity.

Let us briefly tell you just a few of these stories — changing the names to protect the privacy of our kids.

Nelson was an insecure and immature fifth grade student when he joined our Humanity Club program. His mother explained he was unsure of his identity, perhaps his sexual orientation. We worked with Nelson week after week for an entire school year as part of our program. Little by little, we watched him emerge from his shy protective shell … and to assume leadership roles in our club. By the end of the school year Nelson said this: “I gained a lot of confidence from the Humanity Project. It helped me very much, that’s for sure.” It was obvious to everyone: After his time with the Humanity Project, Nelson was a changed child.

Another elementary school student, Tilda, avoided public speaking when she joined our program. She had a slight lisp and seemed very self-conscious. Within a few months, though, Tilda gladly took part in videos that required her to recite lines … and even led activities in front of the group. By the end of our Humanity Club, Tilda decided to write a letter to us: “Thank you for teaching me this year. You helped me gain confidence and knowledge. Thanks for all the attention you’ve given me. It made a large difference in my attitude. I’ve changed in so many ways. No other teacher has ever invested so much time in me, and I am truly grateful!"

Then there was Marion, a talented high school student. She quickly assumed a leadership role in our I Care program, arranging events and speaking to peers. And leading her own I Care team after school. Marion told us that I Care gave her an opportunity to learn, grow and develop more quickly and more fully than would have been possible without the Humanity Project. She matured as she acquired an understanding of both the issues addressed by I Care and the underlying human dynamics involved in leading other human beings. Marion went on to a college career of honors and achievement, in no small part due to her experience with the Humanity Project.

These are just some samples of the impact our nonprofit has had on individuals during the past 18 years. You can watch a short video that shows kids talking for themselves about our Humanity Club program. Perhaps we’ve also had some influence on your feelings about yourself and others. Maybe you’ve even signed our Pledge For Humanity. We know that our efforts inspire greater respect for the goodness and inherent value of humanity. Equality, respect and self-worth are our core values. Join our campaign, won’t you? “Equality For Each, Respect For All” are values that allow us to feel better about everyone, including ourselves. That’s the ultimate goal of the Humanity Project.

Young Leaders Leading Peers

This is how we do it at the Humanity Project. Kids teaching kids … Our handpicked young student leaders have spent a year learning about the real value of self-worth, respect for others, equality — and also how to present those values to their peers in various ways throughout their membership in our Humanity Club program. Last week was another opportunity for our leaders to share their knowledge. And to inspire their younger peers.

This time our 5th graders worked with a large group of 2nd graders to help the smaller children gain some understanding of ideas such as respect and community. They began the session with our regular Humanity Club deep breathing and affirmations, explaining why these practices are helpful.

It’s just one part of the Humanity Project’s efforts to promote “Equality For Each, Respect For All.” We have learned that by working with elementary school kids in this way, we help prevent bullying and other destructive behavior in their school of course, but also in middle school and high school. The lessons stick and carry over to inform their values later in life.

We’re proud of all the kids in our Humanity Club program. They are constantly challenged with new ideas and difficult problems to consider, but they come back to us for more, week after week. We applaud them. And we thank them for their hard work. Bravo to each of these young leaders.

State Farm Saves Lives

The Humanity Project's acclaimed "I Care" program has helped teen drivers, and parents of teen drivers, avoid car crashes for more than a decade. Now a major new State Farm grant will allow teens working under Humanity Project guidance to create a new up-to-date book on safe driving... and to offer the book free online to anyone who is interested in its important lessons. The hard copy book also will be available to schools, courts, State Farm agents and others who request it. Evidence proves parents greatly influence the driving of their teenage motorists ...if those adults understand how to help. Teens also can improve the driving habits of their peers, research shows. "I Care!" seizes on this evidence in order to enlist both teens and parents in the battle against distracted driving. The program is funded by a generous grant from State Farm, which helped create the Humanity Project "I Care" driver safety program in 2012 -- and has funded this program each year since. These collaborations include an innovative free website for parents of teen drivers: www.thp4parents.com ("The Humanity Project 4 Parents").

The “I Care” program falls under the Humanity Project mission of “instilling greater respect for the goodness and inherent value of humanity” and our trademarked motto, “Equality For Each, Respect For All” in this way: We teach the importance of respect on the roads. Where else in daily life is mutual respect more immediately important than on our dangerous highways, where distracted drivers cause so many crashes and near-crashes? A recognition of the value of our own lives and the lives of others helps us make safety-conscious decisions when motoring. We thank State Farm once again, our loyal partners in this and other programs since 2008. And we hope you will help us to thank them by visiting their website and looking over the many excellent services they offer. State Farm, we can’t do it without you.

Our Kids Teaching Kids

One major goal of the Humanity Project’s acclaimed Humanity Club program is this: to teach young student leaders how to help their peers understand the value of respect, equality and self-worth. Kids teaching kids.

We now have a new tool to spread their positive message — two new short videos that can be shown in any school anywhere on planet earth, for free. These videos offer key lessons repeated at the beginning of every Humanity Club meeting. One involves a brief deep breathing exercise to relax our students and focus their attention. The other is an affirmation in call-and-response form that reminds our kids of their importance as human beings. Our Humanity Project instructors always repeat the purpose of the deep breathing and the benefits of self-worth … benefits both for themselves and others around them. The concepts and the practical techniques are taught and taught again to stick in young minds. And they do stick.

Over the years we have found these parts of our Humanity Club sessions are not only enjoyed by all our kids. The lessons indeed are remembered and used independent of our program, whether at home, in school or around their towns. We’ve heard stories of children successfully drawing on their lessons when they can’t sleep or during stressful moments. Simple as the teachings are, we find they are wonderfully helpful in connecting with elementary and middle school students in ways that improve their lives.

As a result, we decided to ask some of our Humanity Club members to help us put together shorter, simplified versions of these two program elements, creating two videos they can share with their classmates as well as with students in any school that has access to the internet. The first video walks kids through deep breathing. And in the second video, kids repeat encouraging phrases such as, “I am somebody!”

Please share these links with any parents, educators or kids who may find them helpful. You may be surprised just how helpful they really can be.

In Defense Of Human Dignity

On April 20, 2023, the Humanity Project Board of Directors posted a public statement in defense of human dignity. The statement was unanimously approved by all ten directors as a direct response to attacks on educational freedoms as well as against the right of individuals to live as they believe best.

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On Human Dignity: Public Statement by the Humanity Project Board of Directors

April 20, 2023

As a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting “equality for each, respect for all,” the Humanity Project is deeply disturbed by the many recent attacks on human dignity in Florida and around the country. Our home state, Florida, has passed several legislative actions that limit what and how teachers can teach. We believe this infringes on educators’ ability to effectively apply their training and experience. We also believe efforts to ban lessons on gender diversity, sexual orientation and racial issues are antithetical to promoting a more just and peaceful world. Thoughtful, age-appropriate information allows young people to better understand themselves and to form compassionate bonds with others. Beyond these attacks on education, politicians in Florida and elsewhere continue to vilify our rich cultural heritage and gender non-conforming art, enacting laws that criminalize drag performance. History shows us that drag is a unique art form, long a staple of the theatrical world. We deplore the misrepresentation of drag performers as unhealthy influences on our society. And we stand by our friends in the drag entertainment community. Equally disturbing to us are efforts to restrict the reproductive freedom of Florida women. We believe that denying people control over their own bodies and health amounts to government bullying. The Humanity Project cannot idly witness the bullying of any human beings who ask only the opportunity to be who they are. Nor can we accept the undermining of school curricula in ways that diminish a realistic understanding of our world. By law, the Humanity Project is a non-political, non-religious organization. Our mission remains “instilling greater respect for the goodness and inherent value of humanity.” We hope this statement of support for our schools and our fellow community members may contribute to that goal.

The statement also is available as a video read by Humanity Project Board members: Watch the video

Playlist For Educators

We have something new for both educators and students. The Humanity Project has assembled an “Educators Playlist” of inspiring videos for young people — all of them free, of course, and all available on our Humanity Project YouTube Channel.

You’ll discover videos that are appropriate for a wide range of kids: many for younger students, others for high school or even college-age youth. Some of these vids were made with the help of our Humanity Project students, others created solely by Humanity Project adults for younger viewers. We hope you may explore some of our awesome offerings … Oh, and here’s another link to share with any educators or guidance counselors or school media specialists you may know. This will take you directly to the Educators Playlist.

Again, it’s all free, all inspiring, all educational … and all of it, lots of fun. We believe both educators and kids will benefit from watching the videos on our new playlist. And we think you’ll enjoy watching them too.

#HeyAdults: Kids Tell How To Save The World

The Humanity Project invites kids of all ages to join our new online conversation. We call it #HeyAdults... The series of short videos features children giving their own advice to adults about how to make a better world. Our Humanity Project kids start the ball rolling in a series of videos talking about such problems as stopping climate change, ending war, reforming social media and more. If you are 18 or younger, post your own one-minute video with the hashtag #HeyAdults. If you know a child who may want to take part, please pass on the info. Maybe kids can figure out some things we adults have yet to grasp.

Sponsor A Child

Are you looking for a meaningful way to make a difference in the world? Our unique Humanity Club program uses the arts to teach diverse groups of young student leaders the values of respect, equality and self-worth. Now you can make a lasting impact on these children – and help them to share their important values with many other kids.

Your $10 monthly donation enables another young leader to work toward a society that truly offers "equality for each, respect for all." Though we can’t tell you specifically which child will benefit from your support, we promise that your money is an investment in the future of our students. Just $10 a month helps a youngster grow into a strong and confident leader who inspires positive change in the community.

Use this link to visit our “Sponsor A Child” page, where you can look over the options to directly help our kids. Join us in this vital effort by sponsoring a Humanity Club child today. **

**Your contributions are deductible for federal tax purposes. You can cancel your monthly donation at any time.

Golden Transparency

See that seal on this page, that coveted Gold Seal of Transparency? Yes, 2023 has only just begun. But the Humanity Project already has earned that 2023 seal from Candid/GuideStar, the highly respected national nonprofit information service.

We’re proud of that. It means the Humanity Project is open about our practices and our finances. And it means you can have confidence when donating to our diligent efforts to “inspire greater respect for the goodness and inherent value of humanity”… our mission. For the entire 17-plus years of our existence, we’ve worked hard to maintain high ethical standards. We use the money from our great sponsors and individual donors in ways that further our mission. That’s one reason we get funding from important organizations such as State Farm and The Our Fund Foundation, among others.

Thank you, Candid/GuideStar for the latest show of support for the Humanity Project. As always, we will do our best to justify your opinion of our nonprofit and the vital work we do.

Finding Unity In Humanity

Today we officially welcome the talented Silvana Sanchez to our Humanity Project team. She is an award-winning graphic and web designer who lives in Costa Rica, working for an American design company based in Minnesota. Silvana and her colleagues just won a prestigious World Brand Design Society competition for their “Not on My Watch” campaign, which was launched to educate people about defunding the police following the murder of George Floyd.

Recently Silvana contacted the Humanity Project to offer us her services. “I LOVE what you are doing!” she wrote in her first email. Silvana also discovered something that had eluded us during our entire 17+ year existence: the letters for the word “unity” are included in the word “humanity.” Her original design for the Humanity Project below shows how cleverly and effectively she used that observation.

Silvana stresses that she wants no payment for helping the Humanity Project. With nearly all our funds going toward program-related expenses, we greatly appreciate her enthusiastic volunteer spirit. And we look forward to an ongoing and exciting creative relationship with Silvana Sanchez. We think our partnership can inspire more people to work for a world with “equality for each, respect for all.” Thank you, Silvana … and welcome aboard!

Pledge Your Humanity

The Humanity Project believes we have especially important work to do in 2023. As attacks increasingly threaten the rights and freedoms of many groups of people, our 17-year-old nonprofit promotes “Equality For Each, Respect For All!” We work closely with the LGBTQ community, with racial and religious minorities and with all genders to teach our positive values to anyone who needs to learn these lessons.

One of several ways we do this is by obtaining signatures on our Humanity Project “Pledge For Humanity.” In the accompanying image, you see a screenshot of our website’s pledge page. We already have hundreds of signers — and now we’d like you to take the pledge too. It makes you an official Humanity Project member at no cost. But more importantly, we believe it helps individuals to remember some key ideas and to apply them to their daily life more often. When we freely take a meaningful pledge, many of us regard it seriously — we have made a public commitment, afterall. Our Pledge for Humanity commits us to living with respect for others and ourselves.

We have one other request to make of you today: When you sign, would you send the link to five friends or family members, asking them to sign as well? This can expand our campaign and spread our values to many more folks who might not find us otherwise. We appreciate anything you can do to help our campaign for equality, respect and self-worth. If you agree with our pledge, please take a minute to sign it now. And share it. Thank you! Sign the Pledge for Humanity.

You Are Somebody

More than anything else, the Humanity Project stands for this value: self-worth. The belief that you and every other human being are important … and possess equal value to everyone else. You are somebody!

We teach this to kids through our Humanity Club and Antibullying Through The Arts programs, which we offer in schools, parks, libraries and any place we can connect with children. We then help those kids to reach their peers with the same message: You are somebody special … and so is everybody! Our approach includes lessons directly focused on self-worth and other lessons centered on the value of others, including videos, music, games, art projects and more about respect, diversity and equality. We find that the combination of these approaches works best: feelings of self-worth allow people to value others — and feelings of respect for others contribute to a sense of self-worth. One concept reinforces the others.

You might enjoy seeing two new videos created by our Humanity Club kids at two different schools. They express some of the lessons learned in our programs. The first is by the great kids at Pembroke Pines Charter Elementary under their teacher Piper Spencer: Watch the video, Respect Feels Good.

Then there’s this cool vid by the wonderful Humanity Club at Dania Elementary under Elysia Page and Claudia Fortoul: Watch the video, Raise The World.

We think you’ll enjoy both brief videos. And perhaps get some better sense of the values we teach at the Humanity Project. “Equality For Each, Respect For All!” And as the basis for it all, self-worth. That’s what the Humanity Project is really about.