NSU’s Rotaract Club will host the Kind Campaign — an internationally recognized event that brings awareness of girl-against-girl bullying, on Oct. 29 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Knight Auditorium in the Carl DeSantis Building.
President of Rotaract and junior legal studies major Veronika Balbuzanova said she encourages students to be involved in the Kind Campaign because it connects the philosophy of kindness, tolerance and diversity.
“Given the wide array of varying cultures and backgrounds that converge at NSU, an event highlighting kindness is significant to illuminating the proper ways of handling differences and conflict with those around us,” she said.
A documentary called “Finding Kind” was released in May 2011 and led to the creation of the nonprofit Kind Campaign. The documentary was shown at assemblies at hundreds of school campuses across the country shortly after its release date.
During the Kind Campaign, students will watch the documentary, followed by several activities: a discussion session with Denise Vazquez, a psychologist from the Henderson Student Counseling Center, apology cards, kind pledges and the Kind Wall.
“The documentary focuses on the particularities of bullying among girls and educates young adults on the forms of and effects of bullying,” she said.
The founders of the Kind Campaign and the films’ stars, Lauren Paul and Molly Strong, were both victims of bullying in middle and high school. After college, they set out on a journey across the U.S. to chronicle the experiences that young women have had with bullying, beginning in elementary school. The film also contains portions of interviews with psychologists, counselors and other professionals.
NSU alumna Michele Fernandez, Rotaract member for several years, saw the documentary and presented the idea of the Kind Campaign for Rotaract to sponsor and host.
“The film focuses on an anti-bullying and kindness movement. The girls did not only want to document the negative effects of what they have coined ‘girl against girl crime,’ but they also wanted to bring to light how powerful it is to be kind to someone,” she said.
Fernandez said one of the reasons she pursued bringing this event to campus was because a friend felt NSU was bully-free.
“When I told the idea to a friend, she shared with me that a roommate of hers had been bullied at her old school; this influenced her decision to transfer to NSU,” she said.
Fernandez added that she knew the Kind Campaign would be an opportunity for NSU to come together and be impacted by a message that states any form of bullying is not OK.
“This event sheds light on the impact of negative words and behavior directed to another person, and how influential a positive action can have instead,” she said.
Vazquez will host a discussion that allows attendees to ask questions that may fall within the topic of the effects of bullying on self-esteem, confidence and isolation.
The apology cards give attendees the opportunity to write down and apologize for something they have said or done in the past.
“Attendees are encouraged to give the apology cards to the individual they have an issue with the next time they see that person,” Balbuzanova said.
The Kind pledges allow attendees to write on a piece of paper that they “pledge to be kinder in the future,” she said.
The Kind Wall is a huge piece of construction paper on which attendees can write kind comments or paste their kind pledges and will be posted in the Don Taft University Center after the event.
“Filling out kind pledges and apology cards allows the attendees to acknowledge where we have mishandled situations and hurt others’ feelings, as well as emphasize our pledge to spread kindness in every aspect of our lives,” Balbuzanova said.
The event is open to NSU, families in the community and students from other schools and is tailored to a predominantly female audience.
However, Fernandez said that although this film is primarily targeted to a female audience, anyone is welcome to attend.
“There is a need for people to understand the long-term effects of bullying and how pervasive it is in today’s society. Everyone should attend this event because contrary to many people’s beliefs, bullying is not something that is limited to the middle and high school worlds, and we can all be influenced and impacted by the message of bullying,” she said.
Balbuzanova said bullying in any form touches all of us in some way or another and no matter our age, this event is relevant and significant to all.
“Recognizing and understanding the issues with handling conflict in such a negative and hurtful manner is paramount to nipping the bullying cycle in the bud,” she said.
For more information about the Kind Campaign, please contact Balbuzanova at vb422@nova.edu.
