In case you need reminding from when you were a kid -- kids keep secrets from their parents. But there is one secret, for sure, that has to be brought out into the open... because it's killing them. And that secret is in some way they are involved in bullying. Maybe they're the bully, maybe they are the victim or maybe they' are a bystander but whatever the case, their parents need to know about it before another child dies.
In the coming months we are going to work on a campaign specifically to help parents engage their children in a conversation about this frightening part of their school days. Because we are all learning that there is a right way and a wrong way to approach this complicated issue, we are also going to seek out and bring families expert advice for the best way to handle these very difficult situations.
More than 30 years ago we created "Free to Be You and Me" as a way to send a message to parents to help their children know that whoever you are, whatever you look like, whatever you sound like or dress like, whichever way you may be different is not only okay--but something to celebrate.
I hope that our campaign which is in partnership with the Ad Council, the Department of Education and backed by great companies like AOL and Facebook to bring an effective bullying campaign to life that will educate parents about this horrible epidemic and allow children once again to be Free to be.
Please watch our video and share it with your friends.
One of the things I've learned this past year, is that there is no such thing as an innocent bystander--and that means all of us. We know about this problem now and if we stand by any longer, we are not innocent. We must come together to stop this. I am dedicated to it.
More information and resources are available now at StopBullying.gov.