New York, New York – DoSomething.org has had it with bullying and the adults who don’t stand up and do something. With the help of spokesperson Victoria Justice and the much buzzed about documentary, BULLY released in theaters March 30th, DoSomething.org is giving teens a chance to address the realities of bullying in their schools and identify ways to make a change through the first ever student-led nationwide bullying census.
When bullying is witnessed, teens only intervene 11% of the time, while adults interfere even less so. Shockingly, most of the time there is NO intervention. Instead of continuing on the trend of issuing statistics gleaned from adult insights, DoSomething.org is finally lending a voice to those directly affected by bullying: the teens themselves.
Running through May, and acting as the kick-off initiative for the BULLY film social action campaign, DoSomething.org’s Bully Project urges students to speak up about bullying via a short Facebook quiz. The questions were created for teens by teens – namely those in DoSomething.org’s Youth Advisory Council, comprised of 200 young people across the country. Once completed, the students will get immediate results stating how their school is rated against the nationwide average, and they are encouraged to share the census and results with all of their Facebook friends. The census has been vetted by experts who develop sustainable solutions to bullying, and who are advising on how to use the data in meaningful, empirical ways to bring about lasting change.
At the close of the campaign, DoSomething.org and BULLY will issue the results, consisting of a national report card with information gathered from the students themselves.
Teens who participate by taking the short quiz will have the chance of being randomly selected to receive a college scholarship of up to $10,000. Bonus! The more people who share the census with their Facebook friends, the more the scholarship increases, making this the first ‘social scholarship’ DoSomething.org has ever offered.
CB Labs, creators of the popular iOS game The Adventures of Timmy, have also stepped up to help put a stop to teen bullying. For the entirety of the campaign the game, normally $1.99 in the Apple AppStore, will be completely free to download and play. Users will see a call to action to take the quiz as well as bullying stats displayed throughout the game to help raise awareness.
“As soon as we heard about the campaign, we knew it was a perfect fit” said Adam Kahn, the games creator. “Our game is all about the struggle a kid goes through when he is bullied. So if we can help to combat real bullying at the same time users combat it fictionally, then we’ve really done something extraordinary.”
Victoria Justice isn’t tolerating bullying either. She has joined DoSomething.org’s anti-bullying brigade that includes celebs such as Vinny Guadagnino and Brittany Snow, to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) encouraging students and fans alike to take five minutes out of their day to help improve the state of bullying in our school systems. SparkNotes is also supporting the fight against bullies and joining DoSomething.org’s Bully Project by spreading the word about the campaign to their vast student audience.
“If we all stand together and bring awareness to bullying, we can help put an end to it,” said campaign spokesperson, Victoria Justice. “Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself.”
“Our documentary sets out to expose the day to day often shocking and devastating reality many children face in schools around the nation by following the lives of children, families, schools, and communities impacted by the atrocities of bullying,” said Lee Hirsch, BULLY director and Emmy-award winning filmmaker. “DoSomething.org’s Bully Project is making it possible to now reach these affected children all over the nation and give us an opportunity to further empower everyone to get up and do something about it.”
“This project is one my teenage self would actually like to do,” says Catie Miller, director of business development at DoSomething.org. “By joining forces with BULLY, we’re able to help teens turn the tables – now it’s their turn to issue a grade that could potentially change lives.”
About DoSomething.org:
We love teens. They are creative, active, wired… and frustrated that our world is so messed up. DoSomething.org harnesses that awesome energy and unleashes it on causes teens care about. Almost every week, we launch a new national campaign. The call to action is always something that has a real impact and doesn’t require money, an adult, or a car. With a goal of 5 million active members by 2015, DoSomething.org is one of the largest organizations in the US for teens and social change.
About BULLY:
Directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Lee Hirsch, Bully is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary. At its heart are those with huge stakes in this issue whose stories each represent a different facet of America’s bullying crisis. Bully follows five kids and families over the course of a school year. Stories include two families who have lost children to suicide and a mother awaiting the fate of her 14-year-old daughter who has been incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus. With an intimate glimpse into homes, classrooms, cafeterias and principals’ offices, the film offers insight into the often cruel world of the lives of bullied children. As teachers, administrators, kids and parents struggle to find answers, Bully examines the dire consequences of bullying through the testimony of strong and courageous youth. Through the power of their stories, the film aims to be a catalyst for change in the way we deal with bullying as parents, teachers, children and society as a whole.
About SparkNotes:
SparkNotes is the largest online study resource site and the #2 teen and young adult lifestyle blog on the Internet. Our 10 million monthly visitors come to prepare for tomorrow’s test and to catch up on today’s gossip. We provide over 700 study guides covering every academic subject, along with special focus areas for Shakespeare, College planning, and standardized test prep.
Through our community sites SparkLife and Mindhut, we give students the study break they crave with up-to-the-minute stories, photos, and videos on entertainment, fashion, and high school life.
Device Requirements:
* iOS 4.1 or later
* iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
* 1.3MB
Pricing and Availability:
The Adventures of Timmy: Run Kitty Run 1.3 is free for the entirety of the campaign and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.
DoSomething.org
SparkNotes
The Adventures of Timmy: Run Kitty Run 1.3
Download from iTunes
Screenshot
App Icon
In 2010, Crossborders created a subsidiary CB Labs for the sole purpose to create creative intellectual property in the digital products category. Leveraging smart phone and tablet distribution outlets CB Labs has launched its first iPhone/iPad game The Adventures of Timmy: Run Kitty Run. Copyright (C) 2010-2012 Crossborders. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.