Students
11,500+ students and 700+ teachers and staff have participated in Act Like You Matter’s Anti-Bullying Empowerment Workshops & Assemblies delivered on-site at schools in San Diego County, LA County, and all locations in between. Here’s what some of them have to say…
Teachers & Staff
My favorite part was that they were kid actors, and they experienced this recently. So they know more about bullying than adults do.
My favorite part was when they were talking about their personal experiences with bullying and how they dealt with it.
My students were engaged the whole time! After it was over and students were leaving, you could hear them talking about the strategies and how they planned to use them. Excellent program!
This program should be in every school.
Act Like You Matter Mission:
To empower young people to:
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Find their voice,
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Be part of the solution, and
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Change the way their generation treats each other …
So that schools and communities are places:
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Of acceptance and tolerance,
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Where empathy and kindness are second nature, and
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Where each child can rise to their full potential, without fear of being bullied.
Impactful AND Expanding Beyond San Diego:
The team at Act Like You Matter is focused on the positive and doing everything we can to make our content and programs available in new ways to reach students beyond SoCal.
FIRST: We’re making our scripts available for Licensing in 2 key ways:
- Performance Licensing: So our plays can be performed anywhere in the world.
- Classroom Reading Licensing: So students can study the content, generate important discussions with their peers, and master the life skills taught in our plays without needing to attend an assembly at all!
Our most popular program Baffle Away Bullying! Interactive Workshop for K-3rd is available NOW on video for individuals, families, schools, and businesses to rent! This is the first time any of our programs is available outside of Southern California! Click this link to watch the trailer and check out the pricing options.
IN THE NEAR FUTURE, we’ll be publishing Baffle Away Bullying! as a workbook for purchase by families and discount bulk purchase by schools.
Click HERE or the Image Above for Details and to be Notified when Each Product is Ready!
Rude vs. Mean vs. Bullying
The tools we teach can be used with ANY of these behaviors
Rude Behavior
Inadvertently saying or doing something that hurt someone else. (Source: PsychologyToday.com)
Being rough in manner or behavior. Harsh. Ungentle. (Source: dictionary.com)
Rude behavior is not intended to cause harm to another person.
Mean Behavior
Purposefully saying or doing something to hurt someone once (or maybe twice). (Source: PsychologyToday.com)
Main difference from rude behavior: Mean behavior is intentional & strives to hurt another person.
Bullying Behavior
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. (Source: StopBullying.gov)
Main differences from mean behavior: Bullying behavior is repeated & involves an imbalance of power (real or perceived).
People ask us all the time what the difference is between rude, mean, and bullying behavior. While it’s important to define and understand these behaviors, the strategies and life skills we teach can be used when encountering ANY of these negative behaviors.
You have more power than you realize!
Each of Us Plays a Role in Bullying Behavior. Each of Us Can:
(1) Take action & DO SOMETHING about what’s happening and/or
(2) Choose to behave differently than we have in the past
But HOW?
Where do you start?
What do you say?
Act Like You Matter and TOP’s programs and social media presence are designed to answer those questions and more: empowering students with tools & strategies they can use right away to build their resilience, make a difference, and be part of the solution.
“Roles” in the Cycle of Bullying and the Power You Have to Refuse to Play the Role You’ve Been Handed:
Is Someone Bullying You?
You don’t have to be a victim of bullying just because you’re a target of bullying. We can teach you coping skills and strategies that can help you take back control of your life and happiness.
Have You Witnessed or Heard About Bullying Behavior?
We can show you many different ways to take action safely and make a difference: to move from being a bystander to being an upstander. Confronting the abuser is not the only option!
Do Your Friends Bully People?
Bullying can take hold when you follow along silently or laugh as your friends abuse other kids. If you don’t like the way your friends are treating others, you have more options than you realize. Let us show you what you can do.
Do YOU Bully People?
Recognize that you are not a “bully.” Bullying is a learned behavior – sometimes learned at home – that you can decide to change. It doesn’t have to be part of your permanent identity. Let us tell you more …
Give the Gift of Empowerment this Holiday Season & Spread the Word: YOU MATTER!
Your generous support can help us reach more kids & teens, no matter where they live, with tools to help them manage encounters with negativity and persevere through challenges, so that they remain true to themselves and can rise to their full potential.
Together we can make a difference and bring bullying to an end!
CLICK HERE TO DONATE
We Believe in the Power of Young People
Real change in the way kids and teens treat each other has to come from them. They have immense capacity to reach each other and connect in ways that adults just can’t. It all starts with giving them the opportunity to talk, ask questions, and learn from each other’s experiences. It grows by making sure each person knows that they matter and that it’s important to be to be true to who they are no matter what anyone else says.
That’s what Act Like You Matter is all about.