Amy Jones Anichini and four members of Theatre of Peace were honored at the Del Mar Union School District (“DMUSD”) June 2018 Board Meeting in San Diego, CA, as industry experts in bullying awareness, intervention, and prevention. Ms. Anichini and Theatre of Peace students Bella, David, Gianna, and Stephen accepted Industry Expert Awards from DMUSD Superintendent Holly McClurg, Ph.D. and DMUSD Governing Board of Trustees President Kristin Gibson in recognition of their contribution to promoting excellence in education.

Ms. Anichini and Theatre of Peace (“TOP”) were invited by DMUSD Design Engineer Sarah Raskin to participate in the “Building Empathy Around Understanding Different Perspectives” module at Torrey Hills School, where their 4th graders were studying 5 challenges that students their age around the world face. Members of TOP were interviewed by Torrey Hills students and asked to share their experiences with  overcoming being bullied, including:

• Describe how you were bullied.
• How did it make you feel to be bullied?
• What did you do to get it to stop?
• How has your life changed because of being bullied?

“I chose Bella, David, Gianna, and Stephen to represent Theatre of Peace and participate in the Design Thinking curriculum at Torrey Hills because each of them is a shining example of not only overcoming being bullied but also tapping into their personal experiences to make a difference in the lives of other kids and teens, so that students know what to do if they find themselves the target of bullying,” said Ms. Anichini. “All 25 members of TOP are dedicated to changing the way their generation treats each other, and I’m honored to have the privilege of working with each of them as anti-bullying advocates and agents of change.”

Here are a Few Highlights from the Interview:

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David

TOP Actor David shared his experience with being bullied in elementary school because of his ethnicity. He was perceived as different because being biracial wasn’t common at his school. He shared with the Torrey Hills students that he made a conscious decision to ignore them and let their words bounce off of him. He stressed the importance of reporting bullying to an adult who you trust and seeking out friends who you share common interests with, who will always have your back. By just being himself and living his life doing things that made him happy, David demonstrated to the kids who were bullying him that they couldn’t affect him because he felt confident about who he was.

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Bella

TOP Actor Bella talked about being bullied because she was a successful student; some girls at her elementary school claimed that she got “everything handed to her on a silver platter” because her mom was a teacher at the school. When Bella tried to distance herself from those girls by hanging out with the boys in her class, the girls picked on her for hanging out with boys. She stressed the importance of not sinking to the level of those who bully. Responding in a kind way, such as paying them a compliment, can be very effective in getting other kids to stop picking on you.

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Gianna

TOP Actor Gianna discussed how she was bullied because she didn’t blindly follow a group of girls who were perceived as powerful; she chose to do her own thing and make her own friends in spite of pressure to conform and join the clique. Gianna  shared that while the experience was extremely difficult, she grew because of it and became a more confident person. Now, when someone treats her poorly, rather than allowing herself to be impacted by it, she focuses on them and wonders what must be making them treat others that way. It’s sort of way to study people and try to understand what motivates them to behave they way they do.

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Stephen

TOP Actor Stephen shared his experience with being bullied off and on from 1st through 10th grade because he wasn’t into the kinds of things that the stereotypical boy is into. Rather than playing football, he preferred playing Littlest Pet Shop and Polly Pockets and made friends easily with girls. He was teased so much by boys in elementary school that he felt pressured to try to fit in; for awhile he forced himself to play sports, which he really didn’t enjoy. Once he realized he was sacrificing his identity, so that the boys around him wouldn’t feel uncomfortable, he stopped trying to be what others expected and has lived his life being true to himself every since. Stephen told the Torrey Hills students how important it is to know yourself and not allow anyone to change you. Anyone who’s uncomfortable with who you are will just have to learn to deal with it!

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David, Bella, Gianna, and Stephen’s full interview with the Torrey Hills students will be available on Act Like You Matter’s YouTube channel in the near future. A clickable link will be here once the video is live.

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About Theatre of Peace:

Theatre of Peace is a troupe of experienced youth actors ranging in age from 11-21. They run Workshops and Assemblies for K-12th on-site at Southern California schools, raising awareness about various forms of bullying and demonstrating tools students can use immediately to overcome and combat bullying and build resilience. Each has had experience with bullying: some have been targets, some bystanders, and, yes, some bullies (but not anymore!) They act as consultants to Ms. Anichini (President of Act Like You Matter and Executive Director of Theatre of Peace), giving feedback about dialogue and bullying scenarios to ensure that all content is current, believable, and relevant to kids their age and younger.

Theatre of Peace believes that students are more likely to learn from anti-bullying programs that are delivered by students, as opposed to adults. Their Mission: To help kids and teens believe in themselves, stand up for themselves and others, and change the way their generation treats each other.