Bully Proofing Kids Around the World

Two Brevard County women had the experience of a lifetime when their independent ideas and visions came together, allowing them to live out their dreams. For EverythingBrevard.com magazine staff photographer Christina Stuart, it was her photojournalism dreams combined with a penchant to visit another part of the world. For Marty L. Ward, she had a vision where she stood in a white dress in front of thousands of children. She shares with us how that recently came to pass.

Bully Proofing Kids Around the World

Dreams do come true and destiny happens. In 2007, I meditated as I lay in a marble sarcophagus at the top of a pyramid in Egypt. I had a vision of myself in a white flowing gown with 1,000 children at my feet. Imagine my surprise when 11 years later that vision of my destiny became a reality in Uganda, Africa.

The first step to fulfill my destiny happened by “chance” in 2011, when I ran across an article  about a 10-year-old who chose to commit suicide, possibly related to bullying. That day, I cried out, "ENOUGH!" and started my work to eliminate bullying by creating confident kids. That resulted in my nonprofit, Confidence Eliminates Bullying.

By teaching parents, teachers, administrators, community leaders, and kids how Talented, Able, and Gifted (TAGs) they are, they learn to believe in themselves rather than believe the mean words of the bully. When you don’t believe the bully, you are not hurt. You know you matter. When you matter, you are not interested in hurting yourself or others.

The second step to fulfill my destiny was In 2015. Pastor Buni Alex, a missionary in Tanzania at the time, was given orders to burn a pile of books that were taking up too much space in a church. One book caught his eye — my book, Get Clear Get Confident Get Going. Something told him not to burn it but to read it.  

Once his life began to change from using the information in the book, he wanted more. He emailed and thus began a life-changing friendship and business relationship.

I returned in March from a three-week trip to Uganda where I taught over 7,000 children and 1,000 teachers, parents, pastors, farmers and business owners how to eliminate bullying by creating confident, emotionally intelligent children and adults who believe in themselves.

Pastor Buni Alex, who is now our liaison to Africa, had arranged for me to visit the 10 schools and 12 churches where Confidence Eliminates Bullying programs are taught by him and a Ugandan seven-member team.

The final step in my destiny becoming a reality was realized on March 9. In my white gown, I stood before 1,000 high school children! Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks as I told my story. Several of the students wrote notes asking that I come back. And I will, in November this year.

Never in a million years could I have imaged my heart could open wide enough to embrace an entire culture. The Ugandans are the most open, loving, thoughtful, playful people.

Each day, our team piled into our van, shoulder-to-shoulder singing and laughing our way through Uganda.

The welcome was humbling. Children and adults cheered, danced, bounced, and sang a joyous welcome everywhere we went. Four men 75-80 years old walked 27 miles just to attend my training, while others waited six hours to hear how I had made such a difference in Buni's life. Even a goat was sacrificed in my honor.

Our mission as a team was to eliminate bullying. Intimidation is rooted in the Ugandan culture. Caning is a common practice, taught as a method to discipline children and control wives. By sharing the evolution of personal and child development principles, everyone instantly started using my TAG method of communicating.

The TAG method replaced the belief that caning was an effective way of discipline with the understanding that children and all people are worthy of honor. Each person should be valued for how Talented, Able and Gifted (TAGs) they are. This perspective creates cooperation and the loving, caring relationships that they had wanted all along.

At the end of every presentation, we did a celebration called Being Me Matters. Everyone found a partner, faced them, and one at a time, said, "I see you for who you are."

Then they would place a Being Me Matters sticker on their shoulder as they said, "Being you matters."

The best part is they would then tell the person WHY they mattered. This was life-transforming for children and adults alike! Some had never been told they mattered; some had never heard, "I love you!" Many felt "precious,” "inspired to do more," to "believe in me."

Education is VERY important to Ugandans, and schools are plentiful. The problem is only some kids in a family get to attend school because their parents run out of money to pay fees. The kids who are denied the chance to attend school feel left out, not good enough, and watch longingly as their siblings walk to school, leaving them behind.

At one church, the children put on a play for us. It was about Takwana Philip, 8, who was suicidal because he couldn't go to school since his father didn't have the money to pay school fees.

Moved by this, we set up a TAG 4 Change Scholarship Fund to assist with school fees. Now Takwana Philip is back at school along with 21 other children. We know of 39 more children waiting to go back to school and hope to be able to help them have their dreams come true of being a teacher, tailor, plumber and musician. And you can help!

Go to ConfidenceEliminatesBullying.com/t4c-scholarships, the TAG 4 Change Scholarship Fund page. See the children and thank you notes of those who have been sponsored. Choose the amount you would like to donate starting at $25 per month. Know each day your child is happily going to school and feeling a part of their community and that they MATTER!

Bringing it Home

Now we want to have the same far-reaching effect in the U.S. We have TAG Ambassador training programs available for teachers, parents, grandparents, community and church leaders.

You can sponsor a school and have a complete TAG 4 Change training for all the students and teachers. Have children feeling more confident, more resilient and safer knowing they can rely on themselves. Decrease discipline problems, increase time teachers get to teach and create a place where everyone is a confidence booster and not a fault finder with the TAG 4 Change training. Call Marty at 321-848-4997 for details and an application.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Confidence Eliminates Bullying, Inc. 501c3

321-848-4997

Marty@ConfidenceElimiatesBullying.com

http://ConfidenceElimiatesBullying.com/tag4change