Never Say Never

Anthony Ianni, former MSU basketball player, should be considered a notable role model not only for those with disabilities, but those who have heard the words, "You can't." Here is an article about his recent speech.

I don't know about you but I hate hearing the words, "You can't." Doesn't that just make you bow your head in shame? Anthony's doctors told him he couldn't play sports and couldn't go to college. Guess What? He's a graduate from Michigan State University and he plays basketball. HA! I wonder how his parents felt.

In this speech he made on his "Relentless Tour" against bullying, he talks about making a difference "one person at a time." This is exactly what we at Nobul are striving to do for every one of you. Violence isn't the answer and Anthony knew that. Hope and inspiration are what got him through and what also got me through those tough times.

"Don't give up," is a motto I believe everyone should hold close to their hearts. In the words of one of my favorite characters in the movie Gifted Hands, "You can do anything anyone else can do, only you can do it better." Go after your dreams and don't let anyone else bring you down with the words, "You can't," because YOU CAN!

--Ruth Jackson

The Nick Lowery Foundation

I going to come right out and say that this man's, Nick Lowery, stand on bullying is an excellent example to follow. Nick is a former NFL player and the founder of the Nick Lowery Foundation. His website here, has many videos and programs geared at the American youth in order to spread awareness of bullying.

I for one, love absolutely love his mission statement:

"We are dedicated to return America to greatness by refocusing Education and Youth Development on (A) unleashing each child's unique Creativity and (B) harnessing these creative new ideas with Leadership skills to transform them into new community assets and products."

Nick is inspiring kids to be leaders, to stand up for people when no one else is watching.

I'm not saying this is the ONLY way to help the current crisis but this is definitely a way to promote inclusion amongst our youngsters. The earlier they understand this powerful truth, the better off they will be as they get older and face other issues. Spreading awareness of bullying helps these kids not to become bullies themselves. Once these kids hold onto this, they can in turn help the younger generation follow the right path which is why Lowery's point B is to give them leadership skills. This is an important aspect of awareness. If the older generation doesn't teach the younger ones the right way, they will make the same mistakes we did.

Let's all be Champions Against Bullying and stand up for one another!

--Ruth Jackson

Bullies on the Big Screen

Boy is it COLD outside!!! I just want to snuggle underneath a blanket and watch a movie. Speaking of which, I've noticed many of the movies I have come to love and watch over and over again have a character that's a bully. Honestly, I didn't really think about it before. Bullies seem to appear in most movies set in a school or surround the life of a young person usually under 18. In High School Musical, there's Sharpay. In 17 Again, there's Stan. In 13 going on 30, there's Lucy. In Despicable Me, there's Gru, Miss Hattie and Despicable Me 2, you have El Macho. In Back to the Future there's Biff. Watching each character taunt, humiliate or utterly destroy someone's confidence/self esteem makes my heart just plummet.

I wanted to bring this to attention because there's a lesson to be learned. Now, I realize these are fiction films, but nevertheless these things happen in real life. I still remember watching the movie, Cyberbully, and having a million emotions go through me. What I went through was nothing compared to what Taylor was feeling. Regardless, no one has any right to treat someone else like dirt. Not a single person. I'm sure many of us have felt similar maybe even wished we weren't alive, but there is something to be said about staying strong and fighting the fight. The key for me to keep myself from falling into believing the lies fed to me from bullies is to remind myself daily that Ruth Jackson is in fact a one-of-a-kind human being and nothing can bring me down!

Here is a list of movies with bullies in them. Some of them I haven't seen yet, but I plan to! Think about what these characters are doing. If you realize you've been doing the same thing, make a change. If you see a classmate being cornered, be their "hero." Sometimes it's scary whether you are being bullied or standing up for someone else, but it's the right thing to do. Be the person others can look up to.

--Ruth Jackson

Let's Start the New Year Fresh

An article on Fox News found HERE speaks to the string of suicides in the United States that have been linked to bullying. This article tells the story of Amber Cornwell who took her life at the age of 16. We send our love and condolences to Amber's family and friends.

My heart breaks for those families and kids who are either grieving or wrestling with thoughts of ending their life. Every time a news story comes out like this, it makes me want to rally even stronger against bullying. We have got to change the mindset of kids and administrators alike that this is no laughing matter and is a very serious conversation.

"It's a Wonderful Life" plays across America around Christmas time because not only is it a classic but because there are lessons to be learned and held onto. I'm sure I'm not the only one who cries when George Bailey realizes what a wonderful life he has led and without him the town he grew up in would have been completely different. It causes me to look at my own life and be thankful for the loving family and friends that I have as well as force me to take a stand against those whose attitude mirrors Mr. Potter. Honestly, I can't see a realistic reason that would ever make it ok to push anyone down underneath your thumb. There have been studies done on why people bully such as they are being bullied, they are afraid of being bullied or they are feeling bad about themselves so they in turn force others to feel the same. All of these are terrible reasons to bully, but there is no right reason either.

My personal New Year's Resolution is to be more verbal about my stance on this issue. So when I see someone being bullied at work or when I'm babysitting, I will say something. I hope you will join me and take a stand to make our children safer and elimite suicides caused by bullying. There needs to be a change and the new year is a perfect way to start! Happy New Year!!!!

--Ruth Jackson

A Christmas Story

Christmas is just around the corner!! Can you believe it? Before we know it, we will all have to double check we wrote the date right! Many awesome things in store for Nobul in the coming year and we would like to thank you for reading our blog and being a part of what Nobul stands for.

Today, I came across an article about an actor in the movie 'A Christmas Story' who decided to stand up against bullying. Zack Ward, who played Scut Farkus, talks about how he feels about the issue penetrating kids and teens' lives across America. This is definitely a conversation that needed to happen and still does.

"I don't believe that children who are happy and content and feel loved and supported — those children don't go out and bully anybody," says Ward, who continued his career in acting in films such as Transformers, Almost Famous and numerous TV shows. Ward's point is very important it highlights the fact that we shouldn't just treat the symptoms of bullying, rather we need to go directly to the source. Sure, we can tell kids "don't bully one another" but if we don't offer an alternative or talk to the parents about the problem in depth, we will accomplish nothing. I love the fact that the actor who plays a bully sees the negative implications of his "actions."

I'm glad that his role of being the bully brought changes to Zack's understanding of the world as well as the harm that bullying can do. Not everyone has to play a bully in a movie or play in order to understand that bullying isn't a good thing. Personally, I'm extremely thankful for Zack sharing his point of view and encouraging others to be nicer to each other. We should be doing this year round, not just around Christmas time.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday whatever you celebrate!

--Ruth Jackson

"The Elephant in the Room"

Hi Everyone!

For some of us the semester is coming to a close and others it's just frenzy all the way around. The last week or so following Black Friday, life has jumped into hyper-drive, every waking moment is filled with something to accomplish and every sleeping moment is spent figuring out the next step. Anyways, let's get away from all that and focus on something that I feel isn't talked about enough. It seems that in our culture people aren't aware of pressing issues until someone dies, a phenomenon happens or news stories are splashed in front of our eyes for more than a 24hr period. None of these occurrences should have to happen in order for our nation, government or school system to wake up to what is really going on. Cyberbullying is a huge issue in our culture today and we need to start taking action to teach our youth the importance of creating safe, respectful online presences for themselves. Unfortunately, cyberbullying is so prominent it causes children to hurt themselves in many ways.

An article I found in the Huffington Post, Cyberbullying: The Elephant in the Room,  talks about Cyberbullying and the rampant movement of people, kids especially, being tormented and eventually leading to a non-reversible act. Many bullies prefer to harass online because it's virtually, no pun intended, anonymous. Today, we have the power to post things without sharing our names. So when someone does throw someone else down hard, it's difficult to figure out who is talking. Personally, I'm glad I didn't get a Facebook page until college. High school was bad enough without social media. 

In a nutshell, as parents, supervisors, guardians, teachers, older siblings etc. we all need to become better role models for those still growing up. We need to be "cyber-shields."  We NEED to be more aware of what is happening on the internet.  Lets inspire our youth to be loving instead of hateful.

To help protect yourself online you can:

- Keep your information private online and keep private information offline altogether
- Report users with abusive comments to website personnel, generally there is a "report user" button on websites that allow comments
- Tell someone you trust if you are being cyber bullied, a teacher, parent, friend or adult who can help
- If you see someone else being cyber bullied tell someone

--Ruth Jackson

Stories

Hope everyone is having a fantabulous week! Today, I wanted to bring your attention to this project: SELF EVIDENT TRUTHS. There is a lot to this site so I'm going to point out something that spoke to me. The first being a video I actually saw awhile ago and has brought tears to my eyes yet again. As a whole, the message this website is broadcasting is the fact that we all are unique and should be seen as individuals worthy of respect. Too often, we label others based on their skin color, accent, neighborhood or what "status" they have in society. This is not right. Why? Because everyone is different but first and foremost, a human being.

The video is about stories and how very often we only have as Chimamanda Adichie states, "a single story." For example, a friend tells you about a fight he/she had with a mutual friend. Until you've heard both sides, you haven't heard it all. Don't assume you've heard the whole story when in reality you've only heard one. Sometimes things get skewed or misunderstood. There have been countless times where I've wished people would have asked me what my side of the story was instead of assuming or looking at the situation one sided.

Another point worth mentioning, again, is that even though differences can be scary, getting to know people is a way to break down barriers. When we approach a person who has a disability we've never seen or from a country we've never explored or even someone who's just plain different from us. Instead of having a story already in our heads, let's be open minded and let them tell their story. Honestly, I wouldn't have the amount of uniqueness in my life if I hadn't had the courage to walk up people who were different from me. Exchange stories with someone new. See what he/she says about themselves. It may just be a whole new world.

--Ruth Jackson