Unity Week: How far would you go to make someone feel accepted and included?
It’s Unity Week and while we’re focused on celebrating inclusion and acceptance, it also has us thinking about all of the people living right here in our community who feel like they don’t belong. For whatever reason, they don’t feel included and maybe they’ve experienced bullying, shaming, or discrimination for simply being who they are. Unity Week is about making those people feel seen, heard, accepted and welcomed.
The Unity Week effort started in 2018 with the concept of building on the anti-bullying movement. In our Out-of-School Time After School Program at Red Mill Elementary, Virginia Beach Parks & Rec team members are working closely with the kids to equip them with the appropriate skills for not just handling bullies themselves, but standing up for their friends when they see acts of bullying happening around them.
We asked several participants what they would do if they saw someone being bullied and here is how they responded:
"I would tell the bully to stop, but if they didn't stop, I would tell a teacher or parent. It's important to tell a teacher or parent because they would help stop the bullying." – Matthew, age 9
"Ask them to stop. If they don't stop I would tell a trusted adult. If it gets to the point that the person being bullied is so hurt, they can start to bully people as well.” – Abigail, age 9
"Tell them to walk away, if they don't I would tell the teacher." – Tennyson, age 6
But what about us as adults? While it might not look like getting pinched on the playground, bullying still happens even to us grownups. What do we do when we witness bullying? Really – stop and think about it.
Bullying and acts of meanness happen all around us every day – just take a look at your social media feeds and you’ll see people shaming others for everything from their political beliefs and religion to their clothing choices and parenting styles. There are viral videos of adults yelling racial slurs at total strangers, telling them to speak English and go back to where they came from…all the while, other adults stand quietly nearby. When and why did we lose that sense of childhood bravery that compels us to stand up for people when they are down?
During Unity Week, we challenge YOU to be like the brave kids in our after school programs. When you see people being treated unfairly or being judged because of how they look rather than who they are, stand up and say something – kindly. The best weapon we have against exclusion is KINDNESS and inclusion.
The Unity Week effort started in 2018 with the concept of building on the anti-bullying movement. In our Out-of-School Time After School Program at Red Mill Elementary, Virginia Beach Parks & Rec team members are working closely with the kids to equip them with the appropriate skills for not just handling bullies themselves, but standing up for their friends when they see acts of bullying happening around them.
We asked several participants what they would do if they saw someone being bullied and here is how they responded:
"I would tell the bully to stop, but if they didn't stop, I would tell a teacher or parent. It's important to tell a teacher or parent because they would help stop the bullying." – Matthew, age 9
"Ask them to stop. If they don't stop I would tell a trusted adult. If it gets to the point that the person being bullied is so hurt, they can start to bully people as well.” – Abigail, age 9
"Tell them to walk away, if they don't I would tell the teacher." – Tennyson, age 6
But what about us as adults? While it might not look like getting pinched on the playground, bullying still happens even to us grownups. What do we do when we witness bullying? Really – stop and think about it.
Bullying and acts of meanness happen all around us every day – just take a look at your social media feeds and you’ll see people shaming others for everything from their political beliefs and religion to their clothing choices and parenting styles. There are viral videos of adults yelling racial slurs at total strangers, telling them to speak English and go back to where they came from…all the while, other adults stand quietly nearby. When and why did we lose that sense of childhood bravery that compels us to stand up for people when they are down?
During Unity Week, we challenge YOU to be like the brave kids in our after school programs. When you see people being treated unfairly or being judged because of how they look rather than who they are, stand up and say something – kindly. The best weapon we have against exclusion is KINDNESS and inclusion.
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