It's no secret that teens today are dealing with anxiety, stress and many other strong emotions. Sometimes they struggle to find healthy ways to handle all life throws at them. The Boys Town National Hotline® wants them to know there's a safe place just a call away.
That's why we're excited to partner with HOPE Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program, and Jocelyn , a BMG recording artist from Omaha, Neb., and , for the “Kindness Tour” at schools across the country to bring a message of hope and encouragement to elementary and high school students. We’ve developed the “Kindness Week Program”, a positive and uplifting event to let students know that they are not alone and can count on people and resources to help them through rough times.
Kindess Week Program
Anxiety, friends, parents, self-esteem…each can bring their own set of challenging situations. Sometimes it is hard for young people to know where to turn for help. That is why Boys Town, HOPE Squad and Jocelyn have developed the “Kindness Week Program", a positive and uplifting event to let students know that they are not alone and can count on people and resources to help them through rough times. The Program includes a multi-day event that features Boys Town National Hotline and HOPE Squad resources, Jocelyn's music ( Jocelyn Promo ), and positive student activities each day, culminating on the last day with a presentation and materials from Boys Town, HOPE Squad and a performance from Jocelyn!
Music is a universal language that young people use to communicate and express themselves. Music gives young people a sense of belonging and gives them a voice when they can't speak for themselves. Unfortunately, with today's pop music, it seems that positive role models are currently hard to come by. Artists that set a good example for young people can have a profound, life-changing impact. Jocelyn is truly an artist that stands out in today's music scene and, together with Boys Town and HOPE Squad, offers safety, hope and direction for those who need it.
From busking on the streets in The Old Market, to wowing the audience at Harlem's world-famous Apollo Theater, Jocelyn knows how to inspire a crowd. Armed with her powerful voice, mesmerizing stage presence, and positive music, Jocelyn puts the heart into Heartland. Her shining, natural talent and mature perspective instantly connect with listeners, regardless of venue or audience.
Boys Town has been dedicated to saving children and healing families for 100 years. The Boys Town National Hotline offers a variety of ways to reach out including phone, text, and email. HOPE Squad is a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program within schools. Jocelyn's album is filled with music that conveys positive, uplifting, and self-empowering messages. Through songs like Better For It, Love Letter, Never Change, and Speak Up Jocelyn speaks to a young generation that is unique and inspiring in a way that isn't heard much in today's pop music.
The program has multiple goals including:
- Introduce students to the Boys Town National Hotline and its FREE resources.
- Introduce schools to HOPE Squad and its in-school program for peer-to-peer suicide prevention.
- Expose students to positive themes and messages via Jocelyn's music.
- Give students the opportunity to be part of a positive nationwide movement that promotes a positive self-image and general mindset of well-being.Kindness Week OverviewKindness Week Overview
Kindness Week Overview
Teachers and students will participate in activities during Kindness Week. The program can run from 1 to 4 days, depending on the desired level of participation of the school. During Kindness Week, each day will focus on a different positive theme including anti-bullying, loving and respecting yourself, service to others, etc. The goal is to promote and spread the message of kindness towards others and themselves. By teachers and students participating in activities, streaming Jocelyn's songs, and sharing and retweeting the events and pictures from each day, students will help spread the program's positive message. The following is an example of a 4-day Kindness Week program. We also have a digital version of the program you can utilize during this time. Take a look!
Day 1: Tuesday will feature Jocelyn's song “Speak Up" which tackles anti-bullying. On that day students will put together lyrics to “Speak Up". By putting together they lyrics, students earn a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes on the last day. Students will be directed to a classroom or office to pick up their raffle ticket.
Day 2: Wednesday will feature Jocelyn's song “Never Change", which is about being authentic to yourself. On this day hearts will be placed all around the school. The hearts include lyrics to one of Jocelyn's songs. Students will be asked to determine which of Jocelyn's songs the lyrics belong to. They will then write down the song the lyrics came from and their name on the heart. Students will then bring the hearts to a designated room or office in exchange for a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes on Friday.
Day 3: Thursday will feature Jocelyn's song “Love Letter". The message is about the love within and remembering to love yourself. ( Love Letter Video ). On this day (social media day) students will write encouraging, kind, and positive messages and place them around the school. Students will be asked to send out pictures, messages from the day's events, and hashtags including #BoysTownHotline, #HOPESquad, #Jocelyn, #KindnessCounts as well as create their own positive hashtags to help spread the message. In addition, each school will be asked to create their own positive video from video shot during the week to be posted on the Kindness Week Webpage.
Day 4: Friday, the final day of Kindness Week, is based on Jocelyn's song “Good to be Me". This song is all about being yourself and loving who you are. To highlight the week, Jocelyn will give a live performance for the teachers and students! Jocelyn's performance can be flexible depending on the amount of time each school has available. During this time, Jocelyn will perform some of her most positive songs, Boys Town and HOPE Squad will have a video presentation and distribute materials on the programs. Raffle tickets will be drawn and the prize winners will be announced from the activities earlier in the week.
Thank you for looking over the Kindness Week Program. For further information or to bring Jocelyn to your school contact Melissa Farris at Melissa.farris@boystown.org or 531-355-1244. Join Jocelyn, Boys Town National Hotline and HOPE Squad in spreading kindness across the country!
(COVID-19 Update: Though many schools are unable to do the Kindness Week Challenge during this time, Jocelyn is going to be doing live streams on social media and talking to her fans during the Covid-19 pandemic. She will be including information about the Boys Town National Hotline and HOPE Squad. We've built a Digital Kindness Week program for you to use during this time. Take a look!)
