We see it every day in politics, in religion, in traffic, in the workplace and at home. It is not always recognized as such, but whenever someone pushes his/her way of thinking and acting as the only right way without considering other points of view it is a form of bullying. That is why the programs of Creative Action and now their partnership with Austin ISD’s department of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) are so important.

The goal of this partnership is to bring a new attitude and a new vocabulary of interaction to the students of all grades. With the help of professional actor-educators who involve the children in role playing and problem solving through fun skits in a week-long series of sessions these programs have shown that it is possible to change the whole climate of interaction. In schools, where several grade levels have gone through the program over a number of years teachers report a vast reduction in bullying and positive approaches by the students to potentially serious situations. Right now these programs serve about 20,000 students in all Austin ISD schools as well as the adjacent region.

Creative action defines its mission by four Cs:

Creative Artists (the freedom to express themselves and discover who they are)

Courageaous Allies (shifting from fearful bystander to courageous bystander)

Critical Thinkers (learning to analyze a situation before jumping to conclusions)

Confident Leaders (applying all the tools learned over many years to become thoughtful adults who can lead others)

Bullying often has a cultural component (wrong color, wrong parents, wrong sexual orientation, false sense of superiority). Learning to recognize and work on these issues at a young age and in a climate where STEM education is pushed on children and teachers will let this generation emerge more whole in their overall outlook on life.

We salute and support Creative Action for their important work.