Caring & Courageous Kids:
Program for Peaceful Intervention to Bullying
Seeds of Peace
Dee DiGioia
starfishdee@ymail.com
www.facebook.com/CaringandCourageousKids.com
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This "Seeds of Peace" page is to share some of the things I am doing in hopes of making a difference in breaking the cycle of bullying. Doing what I can... I welcome anyone who would like to join me in my efforts!
"I am only one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." (Helen Keller)
Recording our song at David Frankel's studio in Chalfant, CA
Original Song: Peace for You and Me
(click to hear it!)
(Original song, lyrics by Dee DiGioia; music and lead vocals by Grant Bentley; accompaniment by Adrianna Arellano, Kendall Lach, Cassidy Moyer, and Dee DiGioia; recorded by David Frankel.)
I wrote this song to inspire others, especially elementary aged children, to stand up for one another. Standing by and not approving of bullying is not enough to make it go away. We need to show we care by mustering the courage to stand up and using only peaceful intervention. It's upbeat and joyful, and offers a "formula" to show how our actions "add up" to help break the cycle of bullying! The song was debuted at our first "Caring and Courageous Kids" assembly, 10/28/2011, at Mammoth Elementary School.
For a small donation, you may have a copy of our originally recorded CD (lead vocals by Grant Bentley; accompaniment by Adrianna Arellano, Kendall Lach, Cassidy Moyer, and Dee DiGioia; recorded by David Frankel).
Video: Peace for You and Me
(This is the video version and adaptation of my originally recorded song. The video shows a story interpretation of the song. Abby Stoiber sings lead, with accompaniment by Kendall Lach, Cassidy Moyer, Jamie Peabody, Madison Jayne, Taylor Williams, Drew Presson, and Sasha Mueller. Also appearing are Maya Weber, Gracie Tapley, and Ella Thompson.)
After-School Peace Project
Peace Project is a concept I came up with to give elementary students (grades 3-5) an opportunity to be a part of something positive for their school. Students sign up to attend After-School Peace Project which runs for 5 two-hour classes. The sessions will run throughout the school year. Among other things, students participate in art projects, as well as perform in songs and storytelling which is videotaped and shown at our next Caring and Courageous Kids assembly. These projects or activities will help children become a leader in promoting peace in our school and throughout their lives! This is our first year for After School Peace Project and Caring and Courageous Kids assemblies!
CLICK ON VIDEO LINKS BELOW: These are some of our videos which we have presented, all of which are written/choreographed/directed and videotaped by me!
Caring and Courageous Kids Assembly October 2011:
Juice Box Bully
(This short play is the re-enactment of the book “The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others” by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy. This book is available to borrow from the Caring and Courageous Kids Lending Library -see bottom of page!)
Stand Up
(I wrote and choreographed my interpretation of the moving song by Sugarland. I remember hearing it for the first time on CNN Heroes last year and knew I needed to use this song for something in my program!)
Peace Project Promise Rap
(Mrs. Maddock’s class appeared as our special guest. Valerie Maddock wrote the beautiful poem which the students performed as a rap. I do not have permission at this time to put this video on the internet. Click here for the poem.)
Peace for You and Me
(This is the video version and adaptation of my originally recorded song. The video shows a story interpretation of the song. Abby Stoiber sings lead, with accompaniment by Kendall Lach, Cassidy Moyer, Jamie Peabody, Madison Jayne, Taylor Williams, Drew Presson, and Sasha Mueller. Also appearing are Maya Weber, Gracie Tapley, and Ella Thompson.)
Jamie’s hope for peace
(This video was not shown at our assembly but may be shown at a future one. It is a spontaneous video done when Jamie was explaining a picture she made for our bulletin board. She explains how someone stood up for her when someone else was unkind to her. Love it!)
My Peace Promise
This is our PSA (Public Service Announcement) for our school and to children anywhere. We hope you will join in the commitment to practice the Peace Promise everyday- at school, in our homes, and in our community to help make the world a better place. Mono Council for the Arts and Bluebird Imaging will fund banners for each grade level. Each grade has been assigned a theme and each student will be making a picture to coincide with their theme. The pictures will then be put on the banners by Bluebird Imaging and then the students will sign their name on the banner to show their commitment to the Promise. The banners will adorn our walls. Copies of the Peace Promise are posted below.
Caring and Courageous Kids Assembly December 2011:
The Box Written by Dee DiGioia, and performed by "Peace Project" for our assembly. It is an adaptation of "Holes in the Fence" (author unknown). Memories of being bullied can last a lifetime. Perhaps the story of "The Box" can be a reminder that words and actions that are unkind can last a lifetime and we can't simply "put tape over the holes" ("say sorry") and expect "the holes" (the pain) to be covered up.
Peace Project performs Macy Gray's Beauty in the World Peace Project performs to "Beauty in the World" by Macy Gray to remind everyone to appreciate the beauty of all things. The video was shown at our Caring and Courageous Kids assembly at Mammoth Elementary School (12/12/11). "Music has a great power for bringing people together. With so many forces in this world acting to drive wedges between people, it's important to preserve those things that help us experience our common humanity." (Ted Turner) No copyright infringement intended- it is for educational purposes only and we wanted to share Macy Gray's beautiful words of inspiration.
Spread a lttle smile (There is no sound for the story until it gets to the poem and dancing). This story of the ripple effect of a smile is inspired by the book "One Smile" (Cindy McKinley) which is available from the Caring and Courageous Kids Lending Library. It includes a poem "Smiling is Infectious" (author unknown), and ends with a joyful song "Something to Remember" (Life Size Humans)-no copyright infringement intended as it is for educational purposes only. The video is performed by Peace Project and shown at our Caring and Courageous Kids assembly (12/12/11). The audience was invited to stand up and dance at the end to share in the joyful feeling in the song—and reminded "don't forget to spread a little something to remember!" "If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work." (Thich Nhat Hanh)
These videos are not Peace Project originals but were shown at our December assembly:
Beautiful by Savannah Robinson (when I showed the video, I skipped what Anderson Cooper said-aroound 22 sec's)
A True Act of Kindness
Not Cool
Peace Promise
This is the Peace Promise I wrote for grades 3-5 in our school. (See k-2 version link below):
I AM CARING. I AM COURAGEOUS. I AM A LEADER. I HELP PEACE GROW WHEN I STAND UP.
I SIGNED THE “CARING & COURAGEOUS KIDS PEACE PROMISE”.
My Peace Promise: click here for downloadable form, grades 3-5
My Peace Promise: click here for downloadable form, grades K-2
Adult Pledge (This pledge I did not write, but didn’t feel the need to because I feel it says it all. Perhaps you will make the pledge and join me in helping advocate for positive changes towards breaking the cycle of bullying.)
THANK YOU!!! I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to Mono Council for the Arts and Bluebird Imaging for donating banners for each grade and scanning the children’s art work onto the banners. Students have signed their names on the banners as their pledge to the Peace Promise. The banners are prominently throughout the school.
Original script for a play for elementary children: Which Team Will You Choose?
An original play becomes a memorable and powerful visual tool to empower children in helping break the cycle of bullying. By learning that standing up to bullying is a caring and courageous act, children can become “Champions” in their relationships with others. Learn catchy concepts which helps create a school climate that is more peaceful and conducive to learning in your school!
I have written and directed a play called Which Team Will You Choose? It is a play about kids who are experiencing the detrimental effects of bullying in their school. A Coach helps show them that everything people do or say is by choice. What they choose can either add to the problem of bullying or help the problem go away. "Be smart, use your heart" are words of encouragement by the character "BF", who is the bucket-filling team leader. When kids learn that standing up to bullying is truly an act of caring and courage, then they become Champions in their relationships with others and help create a school that is a more peaceful and fun place to be! The "bucket fill-osophy"™ in Carol McCloud's book, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?, inspired me to write my play. Her book and the beautiful concepts within have become an integral part of our bullying awareness program. The concepts of "bucket-filling" and "bucket-dipping" is woven into our conversations to help teach the concept of how everything we do or say has a positive or negative effect on others.
Below is an email from a parent about Which Team Will YOU Choose? about 5 months after the play was performed at our school:
“Just wanted to share something with you. Today Leo asked me if I went to "that nice play". I was asking him what he meant and he said "you know that play where the grown-ups showed us how to be nice to each other". Unfortunately I didn't see the play and Leo said "too bad, it was great". So - just a thank you for the impact you are having on all of our kids. I know sometimes it may seem overwhelming, but you are making a lasting impact. Thanks!"
My play is dedicated to my “coach”, best friend, bucket-filler, and very significant other, Greg Young. I thank him for supporting me & coaching me through the days I was targeted by a bully not too long ago. When the court system failed to protect me from my bully, Greg helped encourage me to find my inner strength to eventually stand up to this relentless bully. Like a lighthouse, Greg was my beacon of light that helped me through the fog of fear! It is my experience with being bullied which inspired me to create Caring & Courageous Kids. May I be that beacon of light and hope for others!
I wrote the play to kick-off the 2010-2011 school year and provide learning tools for the children, as well as for teachers and parents, to use throughout the school year. The play was performed by adult volunteers on 10/01/10 for the students at my school!
We are currently rehearsing for a newer version of the play, using children and adults as the actors. We will be profesionally videotaping the production and show it in March or April to our school. The DVD will also be sold as a fundraiser for future Caring and Courageous Kids projects!
Why Theatre?
In my first year of my program (2009) I began building a collection of books and offered to read stories in the classrooms with follow-up discussions on peaceful strategies (“bucket-filling”) for dealing with bullying (“bucket-dipping”). “Stories provide a wealth of good examples… that are often missing from a child's day to day environment. Stories can create emotional attachment to… a desire to do the right thing. Stories familiarize youngsters with the codes of conduct they need to know.” (From “Books That Build Character” Kilpatrick and Gregory & Wolfe)
At the end of my first year doing the program, a 5th grade student came to me and told me “I want to stop being a bully." "What makes you want to stop?" I asked. He answered, "Because of the videos you showed us the other day. I don't want to be a bully anymore." Children also began coming to me during recess for help with their bullying issues, or when they saw me in the halls they thanked me for reading the story to their class—they liked talking about bullying strategies! I realized the power of talking to kids and showing them how their actions affect one another. Using books, a few short video clips on the effects of people being bullied and having conversations with the 5th grade classes was enough to turn a few self-professed bullies around, at least at that moment. Imagine what we could do if this became a regular part of the school curriculum?
Having become involved as an actor in our local community theatre for the past few years, I thought about taking storytelling to a new level. I thought bringing stories alive on stage could make a memorable and positive impact. Using drama in schools can help students better understand themselves and others. “Through the power of live stage performances, students can help their peers learn anti-bullying tactics, (and) start meaningful discussions … which can be used as a powerful weapon to combat bullying.” It benefits the bullies, the bullied…and the bystanders.” (www.pioneerdrama.com ) “Storytelling takes students through the stages of Identification (students identify with characters and/or events in the story); catharsis (students become emotionally involved in the story and express their feelings in a safe and structured setting, through discussion, writing, artwork, or other activities); and Insight (students imagine possible solutions to the issues presented in the story) to help them become aware of ways that their own problems might be addressed or solved.” (From “Words that Heal” www.adl.org ) “Acting out personal experiences with bullying fosters compassion and empowers all students — bullies, victims, and witnesses — to stand up for what's right.” (http://www.ascd.org/ )
Barbara Coloroso, author of “The Bully, The Bullied, and the Bystanders”, describes bullying as “an act with 3 characters.” She states: “There can be no bullying without bullies. But they cannot pull off their cruel deeds without the complicity of bystanders.” Research shows that bystanders are present 85% of the time when bullying occurs. “Most students from all across the country choose reaching out as the most desired peer intervention.” (Stan Davis) Bystanders can learn that standing up to bullying takes away the power of the bully and that they have the power to break the cycle of bullying. In so doing, this has the potential to make a big problem much smaller. It takes caring and courage…and can help create a climate of caring & kindness in a school.
Safe Schools Planning Committee
In the school year of 2010-2011 I was asked to be part of the Safe Schools Planning Committee. I was instrumental in getting the following things approved in our school’s plan:
Caring and Courageous Kids Lending Library
I have created a lending library for parents and educators. It has DVD’s, videos, books for parents/teachers, and storybooks for children on kindness, on bullying, on diversity, and understanding disabilities. The library is in my classroom. Please feel free to drop by anytime. Teachers at my school also know they can invite me to their classroom anytime and I will read on a preferred topic and do a follow-up discussion or activity. The children love it!! When I can, I add additional books towards the library so it is ever-growing. I receive no outside funding. If you would like to make a donation to the library or purchase a book, here is link to my WISHLIST !
Caring and Courageous Kids Committee
This school year I have an active and growing committee of parents (3 at present) and teachers (2 at present) who are helping me with planning and ideas. If you would like to become involved, please contact me. We meet approximately once a month and communicate by emails in between.
"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." (Robert Kennedy)
