My heart swells when kids take action to make the world a better place for others. Today it’s practically bursting because of willUstand, a bullying prevention initiative by a local Vermonter, 12-year-old, Charleigh Gere, who is using music to share the message that “bystanders can make a difference and that when someone stands for another, they gift hope.” I am so excited about willUstand for several reasons (freebie alert!):

1. willUstand offers a great resource – a free download of the song Stand (the lyrics are there too.) You can use this song as part of a bullying prevention lesson, student presentation, in an assembly, or as a writing prompt. I always find that kids want to listen over and over to (and perform) the music we use in counseling lessons. This free download will allow them to be able to listen to it as much as they want. Here’s the chorus:

All it takes is one voice unafraid to say…

I will stand beside you
Will you stand with me, dig your feet into
The earth, cuz they’re worth
Somebody to catch them
Let’s join together and
Stand

2. willUstand is offering kids an engaging and thought-provoking way to participate in the creation of a crowdsourced music video. Now through November 1, kids are invited to submit video clips (under 20 seconds in length) that visually illustrate the themes of standing up for others and/or one voice unafraid. Here are the submission guidelines and a video of Charleigh explaining how kids can join in:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXfKc7n9Zlo]

3. Charleigh is a great role model for showing kids how they can make a difference. Charleigh’s story is one that they can really relate to – as a sixth grader she had an experience with bullying, which inspired her to do something to help kids to be the “one voice unafraid” to stand up for kids who are being bullied. I can’t wait to share it with my students, to see what ideas they have about how they can make a difference too.

You can follow willUstand on Facebook and on Twitter at @willUstand. I hope you’ll spread the word!

I’d love to hear your ideas about how to use Charleigh’s song and willUstand to help kids learn about taking a stand against bullying.