Cartoon Network Expands Award-Winning STOP BULLYING: SPEAK UP Campaign with Fall Slate of Projects Leading into National Bullying Prevention Month

ATLANTA, Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As schools, families and students prepare for National Bullying Prevention Month in October, Cartoon Network and its Stop Bullying: Speak Up partners today announced a comprehensive slate of new and expanded projects to further increase efforts to help build awareness of bullying prevention methods and tactics in schools, on playgrounds and online. The multiple award-winning pro-social campaign has continued to recruit and engage new allies to support the network's vision of encouraging bystanders to speak up whenever they see bullying behaviors take place. The fall 2013 schedule of events also includes the world television premiere of the new movie, Contest, on Oct. 6, which centers on the story about a bully and his victim, and an original PSA to play on Cartoon Network throughout the coming year.

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"Cartoon Network and our Stop Bullying: Speak Up partners believe that when given the proper tools, young people can indeed make a difference," noted Cartoon Network President and COO Stuart Snyder. "We feel this project continues to help because today's youth want to live and learn in safe environments. Over the last three years, with the amazing help from our expert partners, kids have learned the skills they need to safely and effectively respond to bullying when they see it happen. Our next step is to follow kids' natural inclination to stop bullying from happening, where speaking up is just 'what you do.'"

With key activations designed to address bullying prevention issues from multiple sectors, as well creating original on-air content for Cartoon Network, Stop Bullying: Speak Up projects and initiatives slated for fall 2013 include the following:

SEPTEMBER 2013

• Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Essay Contest: Stop Bullying: Speak Up will serve as an official partner for the annual CBCF national essay contest, which focuses on issues that bear heavy impact on the lives of African Americans. Open to high school students from the districts of CBC members, the contest's theme this year is bullying prevention. Submissions are judged by a special committee with the top three winning essays eligible for a monetary award scholarship. Winners and their families are invited to Washington to present their essays in person at the Annual Legislative Conference on Sept. 19, where Cartoon Network will photograph the live presentations to post a journalistic gallery online at the Facebook Stop Bullying: Speak Up page.
• New Rosalind Wiseman Book, Masterminds and Wingmen: Helping Your Son Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker Room Tests, Girlfriends and the New Realities of Guy World Launches Sept. 10: Renowned author and family expert Rosalind Wiseman (Queen Bees & Wannabes), an original advisor to Stop Bullying: Speak Up, will release a new book focusing on boys' social hierarchies, decision-making influences and emotional well-being. Cartoon Network will promote Wiseman's newest work—a landmark book showing parents, educators and coaches how to reach out and help boys overcome their most common yet difficult challenges—with a preview video posting and a free 250 book promotional giveaway with Random House on the Facebook Stop Bullying: Speak Up page in September.
• All-New PSA to Debut on Sept. 23: Rising young stars Jeremy Shada and Shauna Case from Cartoon Network's sketch-comedy series Incredible Crew will appear in a new Stop Bullying: Speak Up PSA this fall that presents the campaign's key message, "Speak up. It's what you do," in a music video style. The new PSA will officially premiere on Monday, Sept. 23, at 6:58 p.m. on Cartoon Network and online at CartoonNetwork.com and StopBullyingSpeakUp.com.
• BGCA Flag Raising Launch Across 4,000 U.S. Locations with Congresswoman Linda Sanchez: U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (CA-38), who introduced the Safe Schools Improvement Act, will participate in a rally highlighting Cartoon Network's Stop Bullying: Speak Up flag raising program (launched earlier this year) to more than 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Every BGCA club in the U.S. will raise or hang Stop Bullying: Speak Up flags to demonstrate its commitment to empowering kids to speak up against bullying. Additionally, Stop Bullying: Speak Up resource kits—which will now feature Cartoon Network and CNN's 2013 award-winning documentary, The Bully Effect—will be distributed with the flags to all BGCA clubs.

OCTOBER 2013

• Emory University Mentorship Program: Stop Bullying: Speak Up is working with Emory University Center for Ethics to develop and introduce an innovative program that trains Emory undergraduate students to mentor middle school students. The 2013-2014 pilot, scheduled to launch in early October, will place Emory's Ethics and Servant Leadership Forum (EASL) students in middle schools in Atlanta to promote and model bullying prevention education and behaviors. The curricula—to include Stop Bullying: Speak Up resources such as documentary videos and PSAs, educator guides, tip sheets and campaign bracelets—is being created with the goal of designing a mentorship program involving universities and public schools nationwide.
• New Movie Contest to Premiere Oct. 6 on Cartoon Network: To leverage its powerful on-air content to underscore the commitment to bullying prevention efforts, Cartoon Network has acquired exclusive world television premiere rights to a new feature film, Contest, that focuses on two students—one, a bully; the other, his victim—who are forced to work together and form an unlikely friendship. The stakes grow higher, old emotions resurface and the line between friend and foe is blurred. Contest will premiere on Sunday, Oct. 6.
• Stop Bullying: Speak Up Content to be Featured in New Kits Sponsored by Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention: Stop Bullying: Speak Up and its award-winning documentary Speak Up, introduced by President Barack Obama, will be showcased within a new digital bullying prevention kit being created and distributed by The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention as part of StopBullying.gov's new Youth Leadership Program. These kits will be targeted for youth serving organizations and community groups around the country, including National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS—a collaboration of over 70 national organizations promoting safe, healthy behaviors and leadership development among youth); and 4-H (Head, Heart, Hands and Health), an organization with more than 6.5 million U.S. members ages 5-21 in nearly 90,000 clubs, administered by the USDA, with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention includes representatives from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, the Interior, and Justice, as well as the Federal Trade Commission and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
• Ad Council Partnership via PSAs: Cartoon Network's Stop Bullying: Speak Up and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. will continue to support the Ad Council's pro-social efforts, providing parent-targeted bullying prevention PSAs refreshed for 2013.

NOVEMBER 2013

• International Bullying Prevention Conference: Cartoon Network's Stop Bullying: Speak Up will serve as a key sponsor of the annual international convention, scheduled to meet Nov. 10-12, 2013 in Nashville, TN.  More than 800 key international influencers from corporate, non-profit, government and education arenas will meet to discuss bullying issues and prevention efforts on a worldwide basis. Cartoon Network Vice President of Social Responsibility Alice Cahn will serve as a keynote speaker with 4-H Clubs on an opening panel on Nov. 11.

"The success of Cartoon Network's Stop Bullying: Speak Up is largely due to the involvement of our youth audience and the leadership and expertise of our partners," said Alice Cahn, Cartoon Network vice president of social responsibility. "With long-term partners at Facebook, BGCA, with Rosalind Wiseman and the Pacer Foundation, we are proud to welcome the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, StopBullying.gov's new youth leadership program and Emory University's Ethics and Servant Leadership Program to our ongoing efforts.  Together, we can help support children in their childhood, and create safe, engaging places to learn and play."

About Stop Bullying: Speak Up
Cartoon Network's Stop Bullying: Speak Up is an award-winning, multi-platform pro-social campaign, created with experts in the field to raise awareness, build partnerships and empower young people to speak up against bullying safely and effectively. Campaign resources include video, print and online content—including an award-winning documentary introduced by President Barack Obama—available at StopBullyingSpeakUp.com, available at no charge to schools, community groups and parents to motivate bullying prevention activities or discussions.

About the Safe Schools Improvement Act
Students cannot learn when they are shamed, intimidated, or in fear for their physical safety. To help all children succeed in school, we must recognize that bullying is not just "kids being kids." It is harmful and damaging behavior that adults must take seriously. Current federal law provides funds to promote school safety but does not expressly focus on issues of bullying or harassment. As a condition of receiving future Safe Schools funding, the Safe Schools Improvement Act would require schools and districts to ensure that their codes of conduct specifically prohibit bullying and harassment and would require states to include bullying and harassment data in their state-wide reporting. The legislation would also allow schools to train faculty and staff on how to prevent bullying and address it effectively when it does occur. On April 20, 2012, the White House endorsed this bipartisan, common sense legislation. In 2013, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez re-introduced the House version of the Safe Schools Improvement Act, with Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) re-introducing the Senate companion bill.

About Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com) is consistently the #1 U.S. television network among boys 6-11. Currently seen in 99 million U.S. homes and 194 countries around the world, Cartoon Network is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for kids and families. In addition to Emmy-winning original programming and industry-leading digital apps and online games, Cartoon Network embraces key social issues affecting families with solution-oriented initiatives such as Stop Bullying: Speak Up and the Move It Movement. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

SOURCE Cartoon Network