For Bullying Prevention Month, Anti-Bullying Group BE STRONG to Hold National Event in Houston

HOUSTON, June 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Be Strong -- the non-profit anti-bullying organization whose first-of-its-kind student-led approach with nearly 300 student leaders in 41 states helping an estimated 220,000 students -- today announced it has partnered with Houston Mayor Sylvestor Turner and several leading greater Houston-area non-profits, education and government officials to host a national assembly on October 17, 2019, at Alley Theatre.

Held in conjunction with Bullying Prevention Month, the event is expected to draw hundreds of Houston-area students to the intimate Alley Hubbard Theatre, with an expected audience of one million students and educators watching online. Registration for the one-hour event will begin late summer 2019. The event is open to the public at no charge.

Last year's national event was held at Carnegie Hall in New York City, where nearly 2,500 attended and over a half million people watched online. Past events have been held in Los Angeles, Louisville and south Florida. Together, the events have reached and helped educate nearly four million students about creative, effective ways to prevent and handle bullying. 

The 2019 event marks five years since Be Strong's founding by Roy and Lisa Moore, whose team has developed an innovative student-led approach to helping young people prevent and manage traditional and cyber bullying, which has become a national issue as one in five ninth through 12 graders in the U.S. report being victims of bullying behavior. Through its events, student-led programs and its specially developed app, Be Strong answers the ever-increasing demand for support, guidance, expertise and resources for students, schools and families to help prevent bullying, social isolation and suicide. For the Houston event, Be Strong's live stream will be made available for schools as well as businesses and parents. The event provides inspiration and step-by-step guidance to help young people gain access to and develop the knowledge, tools and leadership skills needed to support each other at their schools and in their communities through Be Strong's student-led program and app. 

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 19% of ninth to 12^th grade students have been bullied on school property, and 17.2% of students have seriously considered suicide. The CDC also reports that 31.5% of students have felt hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks, and 7.4% of students have attempted suicide one or more times in the past 12 months.

"We are a strong, resilient and inspired city," said Houston Mayor Sylvestor Turner. "However, our people and city have experienced severe trauma following Hurricane Harvey. Word of Be Strong's efforts have spread quickly, which is a testament to the strength and impact of their message to help students across the nation realize their value and self-worth and learn to become more resilient."

Added Mayor Turner, "Bullying is an issue for many schools throughout the country including in Houston, and research shows that there are severe long-term consequences for both the targets and the students exhibiting bullying behavior. I am grateful and pleased to join in bringing the Be Strong LIVE Tour's 2019 national event to Houston."

Be Strong has partnered with the iconic Alley Theatre as the hosting facility and production partner, which has undergone significant renovation following the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Its stage will serve as an ideal venue for Be Strong's event.

Be Strong's cause continues to be supported by its Hero Sponsor, DSW, Inc., and partner Q'STRAINT. With the new addition of an exciting partnership with Five Star®.

"We deeply care about our children and giving them the skills, they need to support themselves in a sustainable way to understand and manage bullying behavior, which has become a major health issue in America," said Ashleigh Cromer, executive director of Be Strong. "We are reaching hundreds of thousands of students through our student-led, grassroots approach, and it is so rewarding to have so many students in our program discovering they can overcome bullying behavior and its negative impact on how they feel about themselves. This is such an important issue and It is a privilege to have such a supportive partner in DSW, as we searched for years to find a company that cared as much as DSW does. With them in our corner, we are confident Be Strong will continue to help young people all over America overcome bullying, one of our society's most troubling issues."

"At DSW, it's our mission to inspire self-expression. We also believe that it's our responsibility to support and encourage self-expression and empowerment of our communities," said DSW President Bill Jordan. "We are proud of our partnership with Be Strong, and value the work they do across the country to help children and build a better tomorrow, including this national assembly which will build kids' knowledge and skills in critical ways."

"One of the seven major groups affected by bullying is the 'diff'abilities community, and Q'STRAINT serves the disability community every single day within their business, efforts and impact," said Cromer. "They hear stories of injustice for those in wheelchairs and instead of sitting back silently, they've chosen to take action, and for that we are honored to partner with Q'STRAINT. This is the second year both partners have come alongside us, for which we are very grateful. Without them, this event wouldn't be possible."

"Teen stress is at an all-time high – it's a true epidemic.  In valuable conversations with teens, the ACCO Brands Five Star® team learned that teens recognize and trust Five Star® to help them feel more prepared and confident to take on whatever the school year throws at them. We celebrate the strength of our teens, and are so excited to partner with Be Strong to help teens combat stress. We believe our combined efforts will make an impact in helping teens choose strength over stress!" Jessica Hodges, Vice President of Marketing, ACCO Brands

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ABOUT BE STRONG
Be Strong is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing bullying, social isolation and suicide through student-led empowerment. Its innovative student-led approach provides leadership and resilience training that features proven recommendations for organizing support groups that help instill confidence-building and bring about a positive change in themselves and others, as well as provide access to local support services.  As of early 2019, Be Strong has 289 student leaders in 41 states working daily on school campuses across the U.S. help over 220,552 students. Be Strong's national events have drawn thousands of students and have been watched online by nearly four million students.

Be Strong's goal is to create transformative change among society with resiliency and leadership training that helps overcome the negative impact often created by bullying behavior. Through heightened action, community advocacy and youth empowerment, Be Strong is focused on the importance of social environment safety and acceptance, enhancing awareness about the resources available, and aggregating professional service providers and much more with the Be Strong app.

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.

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