POSTED BY: BOB KNOTTS
As you’ve probably noticed by now, we have a great new trademarked slogan at the Humanity Project: “Helpings kids to help kids!” So let us explain those words to you just a bit more. All of our programs, one way or another, rely on collaboration among young folks to make the programs work. Our Anti-bullying Through The Arts program, nationally known and often praised, shows elementary school students how bullying hurts everyone in school and why it takes everyone to stop it — then we demonstrate those two main points to them through a fun, arts-based assembly that sticks in their minds. We give the school free original Humanity Project books for every teacher to follow up and reinforce our message. But ultimately it’s all about teaching kids to involve themselves when they see a fellow student being bullied. Kids helping kids.
Our I Care/Just Let Me Drive teen driver safety program avoids scare tactics, which research consistently has proven do not work. You can’t scare a kid into driving safely. You have to make them want to drive safely. To accomplish that, our program draws on close teen friendships and positive peer pressure. And a study last year by Barry University shows us I Care’s approach is effective in curbing distracted driving. Kids helping kids.
Our third major program is our unique website for socially isolated teens, including many LGBT students. Like the I Care program, it was created by teens, for teens. The site is at this web address:www.thp4kids.com and we hope you’ll check it out. We’re proud of this website, as we are all our programs. It offers advice and videos and music and games and a pretty amazing feature called “Hearing Voices (Inside Your Head)” in the “You’re Not Alone” section of the site. All that along with blogs, poetry and even a 24-hour hotline, a terrific resource run by organizations such as Covenant House and Boys Town. So yes, thp4kids once again has the same approach: Kids helping kids.
Our mission is to help young people to help their peers. We also sometimes help kids to help parents, which in turn assists kids as a result of the things their parents learn. We’re pleased to offer this new slogan as a way for you to remember what the Humanity Project really is all about: Helping kids to help kids (and sometimes parents …) in ways that emphasize the value of each individual. Oh yeah, definitely. “Helping kids to help kids!”™ That’s the Humanity Project.
