I was not surprised when I saw that Demi Lovato, the 'X Factor' judge, was going to become the face of a new anti-bullying campaign. It is well known that Demi was bullied in school.
In fact, middle school was particularly rough for her. Kids would develop "hate petitions" about her for other kids to sign. And, they would hold CD-bashing parties using her demos. Kids even came to her house and would stand across the street and yell things at her.
Over the years, Demi has struggled to overcome the effects of bullying. That's why I was excited to see that she was using her experience to help put an end to bullying.
The anti-bullying campaign that Demi signed on with is called "Mean Stinks" and is sponsored by the deodorant Secret. The campaign encourages kids to "gang up for good," and end bullying in school.
Through the program, kids pledge to have a drama free school year. To pledge, they "pinky swear" they will not bully people. Then, they paint the fingernail of their pinky blue. The idea is that the blue pinky will be a good conversation-starter about bullying. Kids with the blue fingernails can explain that is symbolizes a pinky swear that they are ganging up for good against bullying.
I was really excited when I read about this program - so much so that I mentioned it to the guidance counselor and anti-bullying coordinator at my daughter's middle school. This is the type of bullying awareness campaign that kids can relate to and get excited about participating in. It's also a simple and inexpensive way for schools to get kids excited about bullying prevention.
What's more, the program brings kids together with a common goal - to snuff out bullying. For other ideas on how to prevent bullying, check out these articles 4 Traits to Cope with Bullying, Bullying Prevention - What Works Best? and 10 Ways to Prevent School Bullying.
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