For those of us in the USA, we are entering what is known as "election season." Historically, political campaigns have been known to bring out the worst in people—name-calling, mud-raking, humiliation, and so on. In essence, the behavior exhibited by leaders of the country supports the idea that the way to succeed is by tearing down others, especially those with whom we disagree. This has left us asking, "What sort of example does this set for voters, let alone children?!"
At the same time, bullying has reached epidemic proportions as borne out by staggering statistics.
To combat this, our Whimsicalitea nonprofit is launching a Better than Bullying initiative, beginning with the Kindness Campaign. This no-cost interactive family activity runs September 20 - November 08 and has, as its basis, a story called The Mark of X.
We chose a fictional story (written specifically for the program) because we, as humans, learn best through stories. The protagonist (as the reader will learn) tries everything to stop bullying at her school, but nothing works ... until she watches a Zorro film that sparks an idea that proves to be just what is needed, benefitting everyone in the process. Here's an excerpt from the book blurb:
After an accident that put her in a back brace and gave her a stutter, an average schoolgirl finds herself a target for bullying.While struggling to overcome her fears and unfair treatment, she learns she’s not the only one, and that there is much more to bullying than she realized. What’s more, she discovers fighting fire with fire just leads to more devastation.
Join Xerena for a swashbuckling adventure full of hope and perspective, growth and redemption for readers of every age. Swish!
Please join us we model for our families and communities how to treat others, from the top down. There is no charge for the book or interactive activities, although donations to our nonprofit are always appreciated.
Looking forward to working together to support the most important campaign running—the Kindness Campaign.