If you are a girl, and have been to school, chances are at some point you have been picked on. Maybe it was for your clothes not being cool enough, or maybe you were considered too tall, too thin, too large, ugly, too quiet, too loud… the list goes on.

I’ve you’ve even been told “you can’t sit with us” – you can appreciate the importance of the Kind Campaign

You Can Sit With Us - Kind Campaign

The Kind Campaign Mission

The Kind Campaign is an internationally recognized movement, documentary and school program based upon the powerful belief in KINDness that brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-against-girl “crime.”

What Is The Kind Campaign?

In February 2009, while attending Pepperdine University, two young girls recognized a problem and decided to do something about it. Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson, both affected by female bullying, decided to create a documentary and non-profit that would ultimately change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across America. The girls have gone on three national tours, spreading their school assembly program and documentary film in hundreds of schools and communities across the country.

At SOS Magazine, we love the KIND campaign. By participating in this campaign you are choosing to take a stand and make a difference. The bullying that exists between girls is NOT okay, and this campaign is doing something about it. We ask you to be a part of the >solution, NOT the problem.

Head over to the kind campaign and say a few kind words – maybe even tell your story, or apologize for something you did or said to another girl. Pledge to be kind.

A girl being told she can’t sit with a group of kids has more harm than many youth realize. These words are a painful reminder that she is not accepted, or not liked. These words will sit with her for a long time. So today – choose to make a difference – Maybe today you invite someone that doesn’t have anywhere to sit to join your table at lunch, maybe today you befriend someone who gets picked on. Every little act of kindness makes a difference. Today, we enourage you to say to someone “You CAN sit with us”.

A reader shares a story about what it was like to be told “you can’t sit with us”

I still remember where I was – it was grade 8 homeroom class. We had homeroom for 10 minutes a day, it was a mix of grade 7’s, 8’s and 9’s for attendance and announcements. I sat with a group of homeroom “friends”, yet I knew all along I was at the bottom of the “pecking order”. One day I was being picked on, and to their shock I stood up for myself- something I am still proud of. But because of that I guess I aggravated them, and I was told “you can’t sit with us any more”. They actually expected me to get up at that moment and find a new desk. I did not, I kept my dignity and switched seats next home room. Those words cut deep. But as I look back (this was almost 14 years ago) I realize I wasn’t the only target. One by one they picked off a number of kids, until only two remained. 14 years later, I still remember that story… 14 years later it still hurts. But it made me kinder, and it made me want to make a difference today. I ask the youth today to be cautious with their words, as they can leave a lasting impression. Choose kindness over bullying. Choose kindness over hatred. – A past bullying victim. Anonymous.

Pledge to BE KIND. Together we can all make a difference and STOP BULLYING.

Source:
“Kind Campaign.” Kind Campaign. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.