BE KIND PEOPLE PROJECT FOUNDATION

There’s no dancing around the issue. Incivility in America is a serious issue that’s getting worse.

People young and old don’t simply perceive incivility. They witness or experience it daily, whether it’s bare-knuckles partisan politics, cruel online behavior, rude driving, bullying, body shaming, or so many other thoughtless ways we toss aside grace and compassion. Youth are facing unprecedented levels of societal pressure.

There is societal and cultural tension surrounding the lives of today’s youth. They see incivility and actual violence in the movies, on video games, on TV, in the news…. or even in their schools. Children have multiple stress points on their emotional, social, and mental health. The Be Kind People Project addresses key youth social issues:
• Bullying
• Childhood obesity
• Cyberbullying
• Academic achievement
• After school enrichment and safety

Unfortunately, because 21% of all children in the US live in poverty, there are also differences and inequalities in the physical, social, and education environment in which those children are raised, amplifying the social issues for those 15 million children affected.
• Research indicates that 1 in 3 youth have reported being bullied, and 1 in 2 students between the ages of 12-19 have reported cyberthreats.
• The percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s, indicating that nearly 1 in 5 school age children and young people (6 to 19 years) in the United States has obesity.
• Students used to have routine fire drills; today, lock down drills are included in normal procedures and students are taught what to do in case of an active shooter.

Turning one’s head on the serious mental, social, and safety implications for today’s youth is something that cannot happen. The Be Kind People Project recognizes that we have a problem. But we also have a solution.

Be kind. It sounds simple. It’s not. It’s easier said than done. The clear understanding of kindness and the commitment to practice it takes strength, courage and wisdom. Kindness is a skill, and like all skills, it much be practiced until it becomes a highly-valued habit.

BKPP is dedicated to teaching the social and emotional skills needed for youth to develop and demonstrate empathy for others, build healthy and positive interpersonal relationship skills, and build a framework of enduring high character values.

The Be Kind People Project® (BKPP) is a public 501c3 non-profit with a vision to build a generation of respectful, responsible, healthy, and caring citizens and leaders. In a multi-cultural society, trust, understanding, tolerance, and kindness are the cornerstones of peace, order, and civility.

The Be Kind People Project (BKPP) initiates positive social change for youth that builds respectful interpersonal relationship skills, inspires humanity, decreases bullying and cyberbullying, motivates healthy living habits, improves academic achievement and provides the formation of lifelong character values. BKPP is an organization that uses the performing arts as its primary form of communication for children ages 5-13 in order to build a generation of respectful, responsible, healthy and kind young people who will become the future citizens and leaders our country needs.

The Be Kind Pledge™ is the foundation of The Be Kind People Project. It is a set of important life skills that helps students understand and apply how to be encouraging, supportive, positive, helpful, honest, considerate, thankful, responsible, respectful, and be a friend in their daily lives. As in any skill, The Be Kind Pledge must be practiced. BKPP INSPIRES, EDUCATES, and MOTIVATES action for the use of the skills of The Be Kind Pledge at school, at home, and in the community. Kindness goes to the core of how people respect, honor, communicate with, and treat one another.

Using evidence-based education principles, combined with national common core and CDC standards, BKPP presents comprehensive youth development programs that fill the gaps and/or enrich education offerings through in school, online, and after school offerings that help students understand how to:

• BE KIND - to others
• BE FIT. BE HEALTHY. BE KIND – to self
• #CyberSkills/BE KIND ONLINE – for digital responsibility

It’s not what someone says to a child that is important; it’s what that child hears and/or absorbs that stimulates true learning.

The Be Kind People Project has a unique, innovative, and culturally relevant way of connecting with youth. THE BE KIND CREW® is a talented group of high energy professional urban dancers who are also skilled educators. They connect with students in “their language” of dance and spoken word poetry and with attitude and appeal to inspire, educate, and motivate students.

There is something enlightening, uplifting, and almost magical that happens as THE BE KIND CREW uses flips, dance moves, energy, and head spins to capture rapt attention of hundreds of students during school assemblies. THE BE KIND CREW makes it COOL to be kind. Their talent earns credibility and the right to be heard by students.

THE BE KIND CREW becomes a trusted and wholesome influence and members of THE CREW can even serve as role examples for youth. All communication with students is presented through the voice and hip look and language of THE BE KIND CREW. This is a unique benefit of The Be Kind People Project. Because the organization includes over 65 professional members of THE BE KIND CREW, they have developed a finely tuned method of relevant communication and education, using the arts as their strong tool. THE BE KIND CREW is one of the larger dance companies (all are employees) in the United States and is led by seasoned professionals in education and dance.

Dance and music also form the foundation for strong kinesthetic learning, and THE BE KIND CREW makes the skills of The Be Kind Pledge come to life as students understand what they look like, sound like, and feel like as values are applied to real-life situations.

A hallmark point of distinction in BE KIND CREW assemblies is the experiential and collective learning that creates a common language, set of expectations, and commitment for hundreds of students, their teachers, and school administration. The interactive experiences that include teacher appreciation,have been called: “transformational for our school,” “almost like magic,” and “the most important – and fun – thing our school has ever done.”

Follow-ups to BE KIND CREW assemblies are vital. BKPP has robust online learning, complete with over 2400 pages of premium content, plus 60 videos annually for teachers (grades k-8). All content addresses the youth social issues that are the organization's focus, all content is written to national academic standards, and all content is original and proprietary.

In addition, BKPP offers a unique MOVE Across America fitness app that combines teamwork, math, social studies, and physical activity. There is no other application that duplicates the effort in the USA. To teach the skills for food security for those in low income schools, BKPP provides BE KIND salsa gardens. Finally, families are involved with family engagement classes.

The most recent data from tracking methods have indicated:
• 92% of schools surveyed report improved behavior
• School behavior referrals decrease by an average of 20% in the first year of programming and up to 76% by the third year of BKPP school programs.
• 88% of schools surveyed report an improved learning environment.
• 100% of parents surveyed report lessons as very important for their children.
• 87% of teachers surveyed report that they are likely to implement programming in their classrooms.
• Student grade achievement levels tracked for students experiencing the science and nutrition skills in The BE KIND SALSA Gardens improved a full grade level.

And – importantly:
• 95% of students surveyed report a commitment to implement the principles of The Be Kind Pledge in their lives.

The BE KIND Youth Leadership Board is primed to weigh in on important youth opinion nationwide. The JUNIOR BE KIND CREW is participating in community events as a commitment to leadership, and The BE KIND Kids CREW in individual schools are becoming the school leaders for their peers.

The BE KIND BREAK is a free online program in use in 493 cities around the world, and inquires and responses to the information offered are frequently received. We know that we have a national and a global impact.

The message of respect, responsibility, healthy lifestyles, and showing empathy for and caring about others is one that is without argument. BKPP's unique form of delivery and The Be Kind Pledge is poised to make a true difference in America.