Famous children’s producer Kenn Viselman will have kids jumping out of their seats with new project
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Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
"To Save A Life" the movie. It's about choices. What's yours?
There is help!
You have choices and it's all about the choices you make! Whatever is hurting you so bad that you would even think of suicide has a solution. And that's NOT suicide.
Suicide is NEVER the answer. It ends all of your dreams, it's permanent -- you can't take it back, it hurts the people who love you --- and it doesn't solve the problem that's hurting you!
While Love Our Children USA and STOMP Out Bullying does not endorse any particular religious organization or group, we encourage you to see the movie "To Save A Life" and then spread the word!
It can save your life, it can save the life of someone you know. It's up to all of us to help!
An all-star athlete and his girlfriend find their lives spinning out of control when Jake loses a childhood friend. Help comes when he reaches out to others who are hurting, and he realizes some people are just dying to be heard.
The movie asks...
How far would you go?
How much would you risk?
How hard would you fight...TO SAVE A LIFE
See the movie TO SAVE A LIFE in theaters near you.
Visit http://www.stompoutbullying.org/ and remember -- you can save a life --- you can save your life!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Talking To Kids How To Cope With The Earthquake in Haiti
It is heartbreaking to hear about the devastating earthquake in Haiti. At Love Our Children USA our hearts go out to everyone who has been so tragically impacted by this unspeakable disaster.
Natural disasters can be especially traumatic for children of all ages. Experiencing a devastating earthquake, a dangerous or violent flood or any violent act of mother nature is frightening even for adults -- and the devastation children and teens hear and read about can be long lasting and upsetting.
When an entire community is impacted, it undermines a child’s sense of security and normalcy. Many unique issues and coping challenges must be presented, including issues associated with specific types of natural disasters ... where will people relcoate to when their home and/or community have been destroyed, what happens to their family and friends, and a myriad opf questions. It is up to parents to lessen the trauma for kids in a way that they can handle their emotional reactions and coping techniques.
Children look to the adults in their lives for guidance on how to manage their reactions after the immediate threat is over.
Always reassure your children that they are safe. Teach kids that earthquakes are a part of nature and can be unpredictable.
Parents, teachers, and other caregivers can help children and youth cope in the aftermath of a natural disaster by remaining calm and reassuring children that they will be all right. Immediate response efforts should emphasize teaching effective coping strategies, fostering supportive relationships, and helping children understand the situation and their reactions.
Schools can help play an important role is in this process by providing a stable and familiar environment. Through the support of caring school personnel, kids can return to normal activities and routines (to the extent possible), and be presented with an opportunity to change a frightening event into a learning experience -- even a fundraising experience.
For older kids, this can be a good opportunity to help them turn a passive viewing experience into one where they funnel the emotions from some disturbing media images into positive action. This can be done by helping to raise money through local organizations.
Don't let kids under seven watch the news. Turn off the TV and radio news. Read the newspaper out of range so that kids can't be frightened by the pictures. Children this young don’t need to see or hear about something that will only scare them. Should you choose to discuss the tragedy with your kids, try to anticipate their questions and come up with honest but age- appropriate answers.
Read more at Love Our Children USA's web site and on my Examiner.com article at http://bit.ly/8h0wn9
Natural disasters can be especially traumatic for children of all ages. Experiencing a devastating earthquake, a dangerous or violent flood or any violent act of mother nature is frightening even for adults -- and the devastation children and teens hear and read about can be long lasting and upsetting.
When an entire community is impacted, it undermines a child’s sense of security and normalcy. Many unique issues and coping challenges must be presented, including issues associated with specific types of natural disasters ... where will people relcoate to when their home and/or community have been destroyed, what happens to their family and friends, and a myriad opf questions. It is up to parents to lessen the trauma for kids in a way that they can handle their emotional reactions and coping techniques.
Children look to the adults in their lives for guidance on how to manage their reactions after the immediate threat is over.
Always reassure your children that they are safe. Teach kids that earthquakes are a part of nature and can be unpredictable.
Parents, teachers, and other caregivers can help children and youth cope in the aftermath of a natural disaster by remaining calm and reassuring children that they will be all right. Immediate response efforts should emphasize teaching effective coping strategies, fostering supportive relationships, and helping children understand the situation and their reactions.
Schools can help play an important role is in this process by providing a stable and familiar environment. Through the support of caring school personnel, kids can return to normal activities and routines (to the extent possible), and be presented with an opportunity to change a frightening event into a learning experience -- even a fundraising experience.
For older kids, this can be a good opportunity to help them turn a passive viewing experience into one where they funnel the emotions from some disturbing media images into positive action. This can be done by helping to raise money through local organizations.
Don't let kids under seven watch the news. Turn off the TV and radio news. Read the newspaper out of range so that kids can't be frightened by the pictures. Children this young don’t need to see or hear about something that will only scare them. Should you choose to discuss the tragedy with your kids, try to anticipate their questions and come up with honest but age- appropriate answers.
Read more at Love Our Children USA's web site and on my Examiner.com article at http://bit.ly/8h0wn9
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Putting An End To School Violence
As we near the end of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week (October 4th -10th)I am pleased that so many have responded to our STOMP Out Bullying campaign and BLUE SHIRT Day. Since its launch in October, 2008, over 54,000 kids and parents have made the commitment to STOMP Out Bullying. And people across the country wore blue shirts to work and to school. Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego was a sea of blue as almost 2600 kids wore blue shirts to STOMP Out Bullying. But there’s a lot more work to do to keep our kids safe.
It is heartbreaking to hear about the fatal beating of Derrion Albert in Chicago, the attack of a 14 year-old boy in New Jersey who suffered from multiple fractures by three 16 year-old boys who kicked and stomped him, and the 12-year-old boy on Coral Springs, FL who faces first-degree murder charges after allegedly stabbing a 13-year-old boy in the back with a kitchen knife. All of this since school began one month ago.
Violent behavior that robs our children of their childhood, education and at times their lives, and continues a cycle of violence is not acceptable. Parents can no longer live in denial when their children are accused of violent behavior and schools can no longer sweep this issue under the rug, as they’ve been doing this for far too long.
According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resources Center, over 5.7 million children in the U.S. are involved in bullying either as a victim or culprit –or both. That’s 30% of school kids.
A new CCRC survey finds that U.S. children are routinely exposed to even more violence and abuse than has previously been recognized, with nearly half experiencing a physical assault in the study year.
The survey findings conclude that:
• More than 60 percent of the children surveyed were exposed to violence within the past year, either directly or indirectly.
• Nearly one-half of the children and adolescents surveyed were assaulted at least once in the past year, and more than 1 in 10 were injured as a result.
• Nearly one-quarter of the respondents were the victim of a robbery, vandalism, or theft.
• One-tenth of respondents were victims of child maltreatment (including physical and emotional abuse, neglect, or a family abduction), and 1 in 16 were victimized sexually.
Violence against children has become a national crisis. It's not just in Chicago, New Jersey or Miami-Dade, it's all over the country. While schools have been sweeping this issue under the rug far too long, they must enforce policies and educate students on this subject. Schools must introduce violence prevention which covers bullying and cyberbullying into their curriculum – insisting that parents participate in school committees to understand the curriculum and bring it into their homes and communities.
And for parents who live in denial saying “My child would never harm anyone” or worse take a “so what” attitude, think again. Kids learn these behaviors at home. Whether it’s a parent who is violent, to a parent who handles conflict in an angry and negative way, a parent who is full of hatred or to a parent who just doesn’t have the time to be involved in their children’s lives … this is learned behavior. What is learned can be unlearned.
Ultimately it's up to the students to stop the violence and create violence-free communities in their schools and neighborhoods. But they need the support of their schools and families.
So very often people make comments such as “the kids need to toughen up” or think the violence only happens in poor neighborhoods. Not true! School violence is no longer a right of passage. Our kids are living in a very different world than we did and with the Internet and our youth not understanding the consequences of their behavior, it’s a real problem. Kids think it’s fun to beat someone up and place the video of it on YouTube. And, violence does not discriminate. It can occur in poor, middle income and wealthy neighborhoods.
It’s time for parents and schools to work together, introduce violence prevention curriculum into all schools across the country and empower our kids to say ENOUGH! No more violence at school or in our communities.
It is heartbreaking to hear about the fatal beating of Derrion Albert in Chicago, the attack of a 14 year-old boy in New Jersey who suffered from multiple fractures by three 16 year-old boys who kicked and stomped him, and the 12-year-old boy on Coral Springs, FL who faces first-degree murder charges after allegedly stabbing a 13-year-old boy in the back with a kitchen knife. All of this since school began one month ago.
Violent behavior that robs our children of their childhood, education and at times their lives, and continues a cycle of violence is not acceptable. Parents can no longer live in denial when their children are accused of violent behavior and schools can no longer sweep this issue under the rug, as they’ve been doing this for far too long.
According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resources Center, over 5.7 million children in the U.S. are involved in bullying either as a victim or culprit –or both. That’s 30% of school kids.
A new CCRC survey finds that U.S. children are routinely exposed to even more violence and abuse than has previously been recognized, with nearly half experiencing a physical assault in the study year.
The survey findings conclude that:
• More than 60 percent of the children surveyed were exposed to violence within the past year, either directly or indirectly.
• Nearly one-half of the children and adolescents surveyed were assaulted at least once in the past year, and more than 1 in 10 were injured as a result.
• Nearly one-quarter of the respondents were the victim of a robbery, vandalism, or theft.
• One-tenth of respondents were victims of child maltreatment (including physical and emotional abuse, neglect, or a family abduction), and 1 in 16 were victimized sexually.
Violence against children has become a national crisis. It's not just in Chicago, New Jersey or Miami-Dade, it's all over the country. While schools have been sweeping this issue under the rug far too long, they must enforce policies and educate students on this subject. Schools must introduce violence prevention which covers bullying and cyberbullying into their curriculum – insisting that parents participate in school committees to understand the curriculum and bring it into their homes and communities.
And for parents who live in denial saying “My child would never harm anyone” or worse take a “so what” attitude, think again. Kids learn these behaviors at home. Whether it’s a parent who is violent, to a parent who handles conflict in an angry and negative way, a parent who is full of hatred or to a parent who just doesn’t have the time to be involved in their children’s lives … this is learned behavior. What is learned can be unlearned.
Ultimately it's up to the students to stop the violence and create violence-free communities in their schools and neighborhoods. But they need the support of their schools and families.
So very often people make comments such as “the kids need to toughen up” or think the violence only happens in poor neighborhoods. Not true! School violence is no longer a right of passage. Our kids are living in a very different world than we did and with the Internet and our youth not understanding the consequences of their behavior, it’s a real problem. Kids think it’s fun to beat someone up and place the video of it on YouTube. And, violence does not discriminate. It can occur in poor, middle income and wealthy neighborhoods.
It’s time for parents and schools to work together, introduce violence prevention curriculum into all schools across the country and empower our kids to say ENOUGH! No more violence at school or in our communities.
Monday, September 7, 2009
President Obama's Speech To Kids As They Return To School
There's been a lot of controversy about the speech that President Obama is giving to school children tomorrow.
There are many people up in arms. Some parents are pulling their kids out of school so they don't see or hear the speech, and some schools are refusing to show it.
Has everyone lost their minds? What do they think the President is going to say to our children?
President Obama is clearly a champion of giving kids a good education and offering them a future. After reading the letter that he openly wrote to his daughters earlier this year in Parade Magazine, I can only imagine that he will be a cheerleader for our kids to study hard and stay in school so that they can be anything they want to be. Last time I checked there was nothing wrong with that.
Could these parents and schools be anti-education? Could they be denying our kids a future? Or is it a partisan issue?
No matter who you voted for, no matter what race you are -- this is the President of the United States and he cares about our kids' education!
It behooves every parent to send their kids to school tomorrow and let them hear the speech, and it behooves every school to air the speech.
Frankly, I cannot think of anything more inspiring than the President of the United States telling kids to study hard and stay in school so that they can be whatever they want to be in life!
It certainly would have inspired me when I was a kid!
Click Here to Read President Obama's Remarks
Ross Ellis
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Love Our Children USA
There are many people up in arms. Some parents are pulling their kids out of school so they don't see or hear the speech, and some schools are refusing to show it.
Has everyone lost their minds? What do they think the President is going to say to our children?
President Obama is clearly a champion of giving kids a good education and offering them a future. After reading the letter that he openly wrote to his daughters earlier this year in Parade Magazine, I can only imagine that he will be a cheerleader for our kids to study hard and stay in school so that they can be anything they want to be. Last time I checked there was nothing wrong with that.
Could these parents and schools be anti-education? Could they be denying our kids a future? Or is it a partisan issue?
No matter who you voted for, no matter what race you are -- this is the President of the United States and he cares about our kids' education!
It behooves every parent to send their kids to school tomorrow and let them hear the speech, and it behooves every school to air the speech.
Frankly, I cannot think of anything more inspiring than the President of the United States telling kids to study hard and stay in school so that they can be whatever they want to be in life!
It certainly would have inspired me when I was a kid!
Click Here to Read President Obama's Remarks
Ross Ellis
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Love Our Children USA
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