A young teen in Vermont committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying; a young boy bullied another until the second child cried; a man dedicated his life to promote education, especially for girls in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
What do all of these stories have in common? Each spurred a New York City public school student to become involved in a program called No Place For Hate® and promote respect and diversity in his or her school.
No Place For Hate® is an initiative of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which helps students to plan and execute school-wide projects and community outreach activities that teach them to respect individual differences while challenging bigotry and prejudice. The projects revolve around social issues that students face in their daily lives, such as civil rights, First Amendment issues, anti-Semitism, bullying, violence, gender bias, discrimination, and stereotyping. The program was introduced in New York City in 2007.
Earlier this week, 20,000 public school students at 14 elementary, middle, and high schools were congratulated for completing the year-long program, and seven students won an essay contest about the media’s impact on how young people perceive social issues.
Travis Robinson was inspired by the story of Ryan Halligan, who committed suicide as a result of cyberbullying, to write a song in tribute to the Vermont teen.
“I heard his story at an ADL conference, and I just had to write about it,” said Robinson, a student at Murry Bergtraum High School.
When Robinson was in the first grade, he was bullied by a fifth grader.
“This kid was always asking me for 50 cents,” he remembered. “It went on a long time and then my brother, who was in the kid’s same grade, put a stop to it. I know how it feels…my main goal is to get the message out there.”
Fourth-grader Daniel Shafman, from PS 175 in Queens, and his friends were moved into action when one of their classmates bullied another boy cry until he cried. Shafman was one of the seven essay winners who were honored this week. Read his essay here.
Melisa Bardhi was inspired by the book, Three Cups of Tea, which tells the story of how author Greg Mortenson came to dedicate his life to promote education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. After reading the book, Melisa and her classmates decided to help their peers pay attention to their unconscious biases.
“We thought the best way to get their attention was to create a Regents type of test based on the book,” said Bardhi, a senior at Grover Cleveland High School in Queens. “We created two parts of a mock ELA Regents. Students had to listen to an oral reading, then answer questions and there was a discussion guide.”
The school’s No Place For Hate® project was to participate in Pennies for Peace, a program that educates children about the world beyond their experience and shows them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale, one penny at a time.
Connie Cuttle, the director of professional development in the Department of Education’s Office of School and Youth Development, who oversees school programs on bullying and conflict resolution as well as the citywide Respect For All program, said the No Place For Hate® program helps children learn to respect individual differences and to develop empathy and compassion.
“The projects the students presented were inspiring,” she said. “Their commitment to promoting respect for diversity, their creativity in doing so, and their enthusiasm to continue their efforts epitomize the power of youth leadership at all grade levels to make schools places where all students feel valued, respected and safe.”
As Mayor Bloomberg said when he congratulated the students, “You don’t have to love everybody, but you do have to respect everybody.”