Did you know that over 5.7 million youth in the U.S. are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both? The cycle of aggression can be stopped earlier by providing the appropriate tools to children when they are younger.
Project Empowerment is an informative website that offers tools and resources to young children to deal with the growing pandemic of bullying. It also offers a free interactive online workshop designed to foster empathy and courage in young children. The idea is to catch children at the prime age preceding middle school and have them examine issues on a multitude of levels: self, family, school/community, and the world at large to see how their actions impact others.
Participants in Project Empowerment workshops are called Care Agents and engage in an array of interactive activities and discussions, respond to scenarios to gauge their response to bullying and empathy levels, receive tips and tools to deal with bullying, build a support system, and perform acts of service to see beyond the bounds of one’s privilege.
Why Does It Matter?
- Almost 49% of children in grades 4-12 reported being bullied by other students at school at least once.
- More than half of bullying situations (57 percent) stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied.
- One in 5 students between the ages of 12-18 years have experienced some form of bullying.
- Girls tend to be more passive aggressive in bullying, which makes it harder to confront.
- Social cruelty, alienation, and relational aggression are more common among girls.
- Multiple researchers, psychologists and educational experts report there is an empathy crisis among adults and youth. Douglas LaBier, P.D., a business psychologist identified the lack of empathy as the “Empathy Deficit Disorder.”
Through Project Empowerment, we hope to build a community of caring individuals who know that one empathetic heart is all it takes to preserve another, and a safe space in which no one is marginalized or ostracized and where anyone can soar high on the wings of courage.
About the Project Director
Project Empowerment is the brainchild of Aanyah Abdullah. After months of careful research and planning during the pandemic, she developed this website and the accompanying program to instill empathy and combat bullying in young girls. Aanyah is an award winning author and has won several awards, including the Dolly Gray Literature Award, the KVUE Five Kids Who Care Award, the KVUE Our Future Award, the Prudential Spirit of Community Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Her children’s book My Friend Suhana has sold over two thousand copies and is carried by more than140 libraries all over the United States.
How do I Sign Up?
Please reach out to us via our contact form and we will direct you to the sign up process.
