POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS
You can see the Humanity Project’s trademarked slogan on our home page above: “Helping kids to help kids!” When you think of the Humanity Project, remember this phrase. That’s who we are. We help kids to help kids. So let me begin 2016 by explaining a bit more about why that’s true. Lots of other organizations do important work in the United States and around the world by helping kids. They feed hungry kids, they heal sick kids, they shelter homeless kids. They get kids off the streets or off drugs. All very valuable things, obviously.
But the Humanity Project takes a different approach that’s just as valuable: We work with kids to create programs for their peers. Then we take the programs to those peer groups … who in turn work as our teachers. They teach our programs to other kids. Okay, that may sound confusing. So let me put it in specific terms. If you visit our www.thp4kids.com website, you’ll see an example. We worked for three years with groups of magnet school and LGBT kids to create a website for socially isolated teens. Kids helping kids. (The website was made possible with a very generous grant from State Farm, by the way. It’s an unique and amazing resource for teens. Check it out.) Now we’re also taking the website and its important lessons about self-worth to a group of student leaders in school — and those student leaders will teach the thp4kids.com lessons to their school peers. Again, kids helping kids.
Or look at our acclaimed Anti-bullying Through The Arts program.
Our anti-bullying program at Welleby Elementary School: Jan. 11, 2016
This photo was taken during one of our presentations on Monday, January 11 … But our program doesn’t just involve adults telling kids to stop bullying. We teach kids how they can help other kids who are being bullied. We show young students why they should stop bullying and how to do it when they see someone being bullied. Kids helping kids.
Our I Care: Just Let Me Drive program uses the same model. We created the program by working with groups of bright, engaged teens. Now we take that I Care program to other teens who share it with their best friends, teaching their peers to avoid distracted driving. See what I mean? Kids helping kids.
Even the materials on this website are for older kids to share with their peers and with younger siblings too. (And of course our materials are also intended for educators and parents who can bring them to kids. Parents are very much part of the Humanity Project’s efforts of helping kids to help kids. Parents can use our videos and writings and quotes to offer guidance for their kids, who then can become role models for other kids. Parents are too important for us to ignore in our work.) But the main goal always remains the same. Helping kids to help kids! That’s what we do. That’s who we are. And we look forward to 2016 to do much much more of it for many many more kids of all ages.
