#standtogether

Today’s post is different than usual but is close to my heart. I was approached several months back by the Canadian Safe School Network to help roll out their #STANDTOGETHER campaign and without hesitation I said yes. I couldn’t be more honoured.

To give you a little background knowledge, The Canadian Safe School Network is a national, not-for-profit, registered charitable organization with a mandate to reduce youth violence and make our schools and communities safer. As a grade one teacher I get to experience students’ kind, fun loving personalities daily, but I also get to see how hard they can be on each other. Bullying, as much as we (parents, teachers, administrators, counsellors, etc.) try to fight it, still happens and is in fact, is increasing each year. 70% of reported bullying incidents occur because children either look or act differently. Over half of all teens have had at least one negative social networking experience, while an alarming 33% of students who are bullied online report symptoms of depression. Even as I type this my heart breaks. This is simply terrifying. We have all been there, directly, indirectly, or by association, some even in our adult years. It is time we stand together and put an end to this!

The #STANDTOGETHER campaign is all about embracing diversity and differences and coming together in solidarity. The Canadian Safe School Network has teamed up with Toronto sock brand, YoSox to create four Stand Together socks that make a statement and more importantly, have a powerful message. By purchasing a pair of the unique #standtogether socks you will be providing financial support to meaningful programs which help children grow and flourish into the wonderful human beings they’re meant to be; programs such as Lift Up, Press Play Documentary Contest and BullyStop hack-a-thon. Purchase your socks here or at Hudson’s Bay!

Teachers, as a part of the campaign they have created educational resources that can be used in the classroom. The lessons are focussed on kindness, bullying, and diversity and range from K -12. You can find full, ready to go, lesson plans here!