Nearly 1 in 3 students (27.8%) report being bullied during the school year (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2013). Students who experience bullying are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, and poor school adjustment (Center for Disease Control, 2012). Bullied youth were most likely to report that actions that accessed support from others made a positive difference (Davis and Nixon, 2010).

 

I am hosting an Anti-bullying/Free my own kind of beautiful photoshoot: I have 14 girls ages 8-13 who volunteered to stand with my daughter against bullying in a group photo shoot on May 16, 2015! Every single child in this world is uniquely beautiful and they should all be free to be themselves without worrying about others judging them! Sadly, I have witnessed my beautiful girl come home from school a few times now (beginning last school year) crying because other children have made fun of her clothes (now she will not wear those clothes that she loves), another girl told her she needs to pluck her eyebrows (she's in 3rd grade for the love of peet), and one of her classmates even told her she was ugly. As a mother I tell her to ignore these kids, they are just jealous, and I always tell her how beautiful she is at least one hundred times a day. But as a woman my heart breaks for her because I've been there...haven't we all? This photo shoot is about strength, bravery, empowerment, inspiring others to stand tall against bullying, and being your own kind of being your own kind of beautiful.

 

I have several activities planned for the girls to do before the photoshoot with a goal to help each girl to realize that they are uniquely beautiful and to recognize that "bullies are not tough but we are"!

 

Because I want this project to make a bigger impact, each girl will also be given a ten dollar bill and instructions to take the $10 and use it toward the creation of a project over the summer to pay it forward in their own beautiful way. The only catch is that each girl must find a way to give the $10 back after their project is over so that I am able to do this event again with a different group of children next year.

 

The ultimate goal in this is that it will be a full circle effect! We volunteer our time/talents and donate to help children realize that they are beautiful just the way they are and they will in return gain the confidence to go out and help others.

 

If you would like to help, contact me at dirtroadvisionsbyashley@gmail.com