We are finishing up the pilot program for the SAINTS-student ambassadors in the schools. We will have our assembly for the school next Friday-June 4th.  This has been a great experience and the most important lesson has been that we absolutely must give replacement behaviors to the bullies, the on-lookers, and the bullied.  So...we are working on kindness.  Kindness and kind behaviors have become a strong component of this program.  Encouraging, acknowledging, and reinforcing acts of kindness goes a long way to eradicate bullying.  I know that many will say that the bully will take kindness as a sign of weakness and attempt to further exploit a victim.  That may be true in some situations, however I really believe that if we presereve in being kind, that we can make an impact.  This means that we need to actively work at being kind and we have to actively acknowledge any and all acts of kindness that we see.

This became really clear in this program.  We dealt with some very difficult kids.  When I heard some of their stories, I was overwhelmed.  Many of these kids have suffered/experienced traumas that are overwhelming.  And their behaviors, demeanors often reflect that.  They act out, defy authority, and challenge.  They were tough.  On the flip side, they were so welcoming of being helped, and so eager to help when they finally felt ok with us.  The dogs were of immense help in this.  Kids would want to walk them-and that became a reward for positive behaviors.  Kids learned about spoting tiredness and anxiety in the dogs and were very caring towards them.  They often used the dogs to talk about bullying-putting the dogs in the "what if..." situations they talked about. 

Making the kds part of the process was so good.  They created incredible projects in each segment of this program and they took such pride in what they did.  They are so excited about the assembly and proud that they get to be the ones to help the school get rid of bullying. 

So remember...kindness, kindness, kindness.  More later