Tompkins County Declares October "United in Kindness Month"
Tompkins County Legislature Chairwoman Shawna Black proclaimed October as "United in Kindness Month" following a coordinated effort by the TST BOCES Youth Development Department, and the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force, which organized 13 kindness-themed events for the month.
During a legislative meeting on October 3, Brandi Remington, Youth Development Coordinator at TST BOCES and a member of the Task Force, received the proclamation. In her address to the Legislature, Remington emphasized the significance of October as National Bullying Prevention Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, as well as Digital Citizenship Week.
Remington remarked, “Every time I read that list, my heart feels a little heavy. It brings to the forefront of my mind all of the power imbalances and unacceptable behaviors that need to be healed in our community. It reminds me of the struggles our students, families, and neighbors face, and reminds me of the problems and barriers we have to overcome before we truly have a community where there is justice and dignity for all.”
Remington cited philosopher Buckminster Fuller's wisdom, noting that change comes from creating new models rather than fighting existing ones. She explained that the "United in Kindness" series aims to highlight the positive work in the community, fostering a culture of acceptance and kindness.
Remington continued, “with this series we aim to bring our young people, their families, and every single one of our neighbors together to remind them that there is another way of existing: one in which we are not competing for power, airtime, or ‘Likes’ on social media, and where we let our emotions pass through us before we speak or respond.
Remington concluded, “this is where we value the inherent worth of every human being, celebrate diversity, and share our individual bounties of abundance- whether those are physical resources and tools, knowledge, and information, or even the simple abundance of joy, because this is what a community united in kindness looks like.”
The proclamation reads as follows:
Tompkins County Legislature
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, bullying has been identified as a prevalent and serious problem affecting today’s youth, and
WHEREAS, types of youth bullying include physical, verbal, and relational bullying, as well as cyberbullying that involves threatening or harassing electronic communications, and
WHEREAS, 20 percent of teens nationally report being bullied at school, and 46 percent of teens nationally report being cyberbullied, and
WHEREAS, bullying has psychological, physical, and academic effects, and adversely affects youth who are bullied as well as those who engage in bullying, and
WHEREAS, more than two dozen government agencies, community organizations, parents, and representatives from the County’s six school districts formed the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force in March 2019, and
WHEREAS, the Task Force’s mission is to facilitate comprehensive cooperation across the community in developing and promoting appropriate bullying prevention and response strategies in Tompkins County, and
WHEREAS, every member of the Tompkins County community, government agencies, community organizations, school administrators, teachers, athletic coaches, parents, and students can play a part in creating a bully-free environment in our schools, athletics fields, public spaces, and online websites, and
WHEREAS, the Task Force organizes a series of “United in Kindness” educational events and activities in October to fight bullying and domestic violence and to promote kindness and empathy throughout our community, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Tompkins County Legislature does hereby proclaim the month of October 2023 as
UNITED IN KINDNESS MONTH
In Tompkins County.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, Shawna Black, have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the great seal of Tompkins County, State of New York, on this 3rd day of October 2023.
To read more about United in Kindness and the proclamation, click the link below:
https://thesophiefund.org/2023/10/09/united-in-kindness-month-2023/