Day after day, all over the world, we are seeing articles about children and teens who are taking their own lives for many reasons. These are not stories, these are lives that are being lost, parents that are losing their children and families that are falling apart. Whether it’s mental illness, bullying or other factors, there are supports in place that families should know about to help prevent this type of loss.
We recently learned about Stand4Kind, a non-profit organization that was started because of the need for support in schools. Children spend at least 7 hours a day, 5 days a week in schools, and many struggling children were going unnoticed. If they were noticed, those who noticed didn’t have the tools to be able to help them. That’s where Stand4Kind comes in. Stand4Kind is committed to making sure that students, parents and teachers have access to quality training, resources and programs to support the youth. They’re currently working with about 6,000 schools and growing.
The Stand4Kind Curriculum to support children
The curriculum that Stand4Kind has is a well rounded program that meets the needs of struggling students in a variety of ways. They provide:
- impactful assemblies
- leadership opportunities
- peer 2 peer suicide awareness sessions
- anti-bullying
- character building
- mental wellness
- human trafficking & anti-drug training
- programming to encourage positive wellness and a changing school culture, a culture all students need.
Their goal is to provide every student with a sense of belonging and to provide schools a way to reduce suicide and bullying among students
A Holistic Approach to Support
What’s amazing about Stand4Kind is the holistic approach that they take to spreading support through the school. They offer teen coaching which connects teens with others who understand their struggles and pain. It gives students another outlet to communicate what they are dealing with, with teens who have been trained to help.
“Mental wellness starts with kindness for yourself and others.” Stand4Kind has created a sharing community app for students. The app is a resource for kids to make new friends and access resources to help with mental wellness. The app is also used to report Acts of Kindness. Their website shares “Kindness ideas” to help everyone get noticed for an act of kindness. Ideas include telling your teacher you appreciate them, raking a neighbours lawn, cleaning up your classroom or asking a new student to sit with you at lunch! By reporting an act of kindness, students are entered into the Kindness Challenge.
An App for All
A great way to engage with Stand4Kind is to utilize their app that offers great resources for parents and teens. Just like a social media account, you will be able to scroll to view resources and tips from the Stand4Kind team and their partners. You may just find some useful content from Kidas in there too! You will find resources from their curriculum as well as tools on how to best utilize Stand4Kind as a parent and in your community. Parents can join groups that best suit their needs based on their child’s age, for age specific content. Scan the QR code or head to stand4kind.com to sign up for the app.
To have access to an amazing program like Stand4Kind is a gift for so many parents, students and teachers. Their program is currently involved in around 6,000 schools and growing. Head to their website to learn about their resources, curriculum, trips, and to find out why you should get your school involved with Stand4Kind. You can request a partnership with Stand4kind under the “contact us” tab.