Anti-Bullying Group Be Strong Launches Resilience Program for U.S. Schools

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Jan 24, 2019, 09:54 ET

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Jan. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Be Strong – a national non-profit organization focused on preventing bullying through student-led youth empowerment – today announced it is launching an eight-week Resilience Program (http://bestrong.global/participate/resilience-program/) for schools throughout the U.S.

Importantly, with school faculties short on time and resources but welcoming much-needed support to address productive ways to counter bullying, Be Strong's social and emotional learning program can be instructed at school or home, by teachers, parents or students as young as 12 years old. The comprehensive program is offered at no charge to schools.

In the fall of 2014, Be Strong was founded by the Moore family, which was directly affected by the issue of bullying. The family searched for meaningful solutions for their child, but found none. In frustration, they enrolled their child in a treatment facility where life-saving resiliency skills were taught. Roy Moore, founder of Be Strong, enlisted a group of local leaders to tackle this safety, health and social issue, which has evolved into one of today's most critical issues, especially among young people, with a commitment to reach all students in the U.S. with these life-saving skills.

Bullying prevention and anti-bullying efforts over the past decade have not resulted in a reduction in bullying. In fact, bullying, cyberbullying, suicide and hopelessness among youth are on the rise. Be Strong's mission is to reverse these trends by equipping and empowering youth to ignite a change in peer behavior. To date, Be Strong's approach has proven to be effective.

Said Moore, who now serves as chairman of the Be Strong board: "Adversity is everywhere, and unfortunately bullying and cyberbullying are increasing and having a major impact on the lives of young people and their families. We believe our youth deserve better. It is important for young people to understand they will encounter social aggression throughout life. That's the purpose of Be Strong: to help young people learn how to navigate tough situations on their own. As an organization, we have had a significant impact over the past four years, and as more and more people become familiar and involved with our unique approach, we are looking forward to expanding our impact and helping young people and their parents, guardians, teachers and school administrators realize they don't have to suffer and that there are ways they can deal with this kind of adversity."

The revolutionary eight-week program was created by Be Strong. It is authored by renowned nationally certified school psychologist Israel "Izzy" Kalman and co-authored by Dr. Jenny Peluso and Percival Longworth. It is presented by Jay Shetty, with over a billion views on his viral videos (seen on HuffPost, Nasdaq, Facebook and National Geographic) and Jessie Funk (America's Got Talent, Broadway, 15+ year bullying prevention speaker).

This SEL (social and emotional learning), evidence-based program is composed of step-by-step lesson plans, 31 videos, activities, thought-provoking breakout sessions, and teaches proven ways to reduce bullying, gain emotional maturity and independence, and build resilience.

"In today's fast paced and digitally engaged culture, it's not always easy to find access to resources that help teach our kids to be resilient," said RonO Polito, Be Strong's Chief Technology Officer. "One of our goals at Be Strong is to use technology to ensure schools and families can find information, training and tools that support and protect our children."

According to Kalman, the program's author, children learn emotional responses to both positive and negative situations from parents and guardians, educators and peers. Adults must take responsibility for what they are teaching young people, whether consciously or subconsciously. Adults set the example for the ways in which young people will act, react and manage relationships throughout life.

"We need to provide effective instruction in how to cope when people treat us badly, because it's going to happen," explained Kalman.

Young people flourish under the right conditions. A healthy, positive school climate is paramount for them to understand and reach their full potentials, both personal and academic.

However, social aggression or bullying can disrupt school climate, negatively affecting students' senses of emotional, social and physical safety. The Be Strong Resilience Program helps students develop independence, resilience and meaningful relationships.

"I have been bullied from a young age," said one 14-year-old named Joshua who participated in the Be Strong Resilience Program. "After learning the program, I have a clear understanding of how to navigate social aggression. Just because someone has an opinion doesn't make it a fact. And most of the time when kids are bullies, it's because someone is bullying them."

Said Moore, Be Strong's founder: "We are confident that schools offering this simple yet powerful program to their students will eliminate much of the routine suffering resulting from bullying and relationship problems."

ABOUT BE STRONG
Be Strong is a national non-profit organization focused on preventing bullying. Be Strong uses a comprehensive student-led approach to: encourage ALL students to reveal challenges they are facing, train and equip students to become more resilient, arm them with access to local services and organizations that can help, and unite them to change their families, schools, communities, states, and country.

Additional information on Be Strong's events and initiatives is available at https://bestrong.global/ or (954) 246-5807. Be Strong is a 501(c)3 and all donations are 100% tax-deductible.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Be Strong