Bullying. It's an ugly word. A real, relentless, sinister, malignancy in our societies. It can change lives forever. You don't need to be a child to experience bullying, let's be clear on that from the outset. Mercifully there are people who care and ARE doing something to raise awareness. I've mentioned the Peyton Heart Project before, now, as the new school year begins Lion Brand introduces #HATNOTHATE campaign. It's brilliant. I just want to share it with my readers so you can join me in raising awareness against bullying.
I was so excited about this project... I hadn't even formulated an outline for this blog. I'm typing at lightspeed. :) You all know my story of being bullied in school starting in about the third grade. At least that's when my first memories of being methodically singled out for other people's hate began. Everyone says "kids get teased that's just the way it is". Well yes, and no... or maybe yes and no that's not the way it SHOULD be. Do I think everyone ought to huddle and sing campfire songs? NO not in the slightest. There's a simple concept... if you can't say something polite don't say anything at all. See my parents actually taught me that if I was nice to my tormentors or to tell the school if Joe, Kelly, or John got out of hand. It didn't work then and it doesn't work now. With the internet in everyone's hand and the ability to text the possibilities are literally endless. So we, all of us, have a responsibility to stop the madness. #HATNOTHATE is done in conjunction with "STOMP out Bullying". Stomp Out Bullying is the leading national anti-bullying organization for kids in the USA. There are a whole host of programs that they support, fund, or partner with to help teens and kids learn how to respond to bullies and to stop bullies from creating havoc in another person's life. In my own opinion no one should ever be bullied. Ever. I don't care about the color of skin, sexual preference, political background, religion, country of origin, gender, there is never a reason to bully. I think it's very important that fiber artists come together to support the World Bullying Prevention day, October 1, 2018, by knitting blue hats along with the Lion Brand Yarn Company. October is not only my birth month but also the birth month of several of my family members. October is a busy awareness month. Anti-bullying and Dysautonomia Awareness month both have a "blue theme". I will wear Blue for "sew many reasons". (pardon the pun) The #HATNOTHATE blog post shares several patterns for blue hats. Note that this is WORLD Bullying Prevention Month, therefore, we as fiber artists can literally wrap the world in blue. Kids and adults for that matter, should know that someone is trying to make a difference. Donate blue hats to schools, your local YMCA, shelters like Teen Challenge, Hospitals, battered spouse shelters, Sheriff Departments, Police Departments and mental health organizations in your community. Get your local Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H Clubs and other local organizations involved with both making and sharing hats. Looking for MORE hat patterns? Check out some of my favorite makers:
These are just a few of my favorite designers but I hope that taken together you'll find inspiration to join the #HATNOTHATE Anti-Bullying Campaign in October. Thanks for joining me today for another highlight for charity.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
January 2022
Categories
All
Author**Opinions expressed on blogs about which I write are the opinion of the blog authors and DO NOT necessarily reflect my own opinion. |