Anti-Bullying Campaign: Columbia Falls High School

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Columbia Falls High School Democracy Project teens raise awareness of anti-bullying efforts at Kindness Day

Teens in the Columbia Falls High School Democracy Project have focused their efforts on anti-bullying and creating a culture of kindness. After traveling to Butte in April to present their project at the Montana Library Association’s statewide conference, the group held a Kindness Day at their school. A kindness spinner offered students ideas like hold the door for someone or honestly compliment 5 people. Students were encouraged to wear pink in honor of international Pink Shirt Day, an annual anti-bullying event started in 2007 in Canada when a student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school. Prizes for playing included T-shirts, bracelets, painted kindness rocks, and doughnuts. Students lined up to play and chat throughout the day as Democracy Project teens took shifts at the table.

“Hopefully, (we can) change the way people see bullying and make people realize how big of an effect bullying has on people and their mental health because, even though it is just words, it can still hurt more than any physical thing.” – CFHS teen

Anti-bullying efforts will continue in the fall. Efforts by Democracy Project teens inspired their librarian to apply for a Libraries Transforming Communities Grant from the American Library Association, and they were awarded $20,000 for a year of anti-bullying training for students and teachers.