Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force

Self-Portraits of Youth (Part 2)

thesophiefund

Twenty-nine young artists explored inner feelings of identity in an art exhibition organized in October by the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County. “How I See Myself” was made possible in part by a grant from The Sophie Fund, which is honored to share the exhibition here. Thanks and bravo to the artists.

Skylar W., age 10, Dryden Elementary

Zoning Out

Pencil on paper

“Sometimes when I get angry or sad I like to listen to music and draw. I zone out a lot and I wanted to picture myself zoning out in space. Usually people tell me to straighten my hair, die it blonde or get rid of my freckles. This picture with my natural hair is an encouragement for kids who look like me or even if you don’t. I like the motto, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’ You can be it.”

Zairan C., age 16, Ithaca High School

Untitled

Charcoal

“I chose to work with charcoal because of how it falls apart as you use it. When you’re done with it, there’s only dust left. Something must be destroyed in order for another to be created. The feeling of destruction transfers over to my work with the use of strong, bold, and crazy lines. I hope this reflects the damage of bullying and how it takes away or molds part of yourself. This particular portrayal of myself is inspired by German expressionistic art.”

Dakota W., age 16, Ithaca High School

Family Portrait

Colored pencils, paper

“The artwork is about how people in an abusive household can look perfectly fine on the outside. The artwork is also about people with mental health issues that can be raised in an abused household, generational trauma, miscarriage, and depression.”

Louisa H., age 11, Dewitt Middle School

Pink Lion

Water colors and pencil

“The pink lion that I made in art class with water colors was done a year ago. I started the pink lion, then I put it down, and then started working on it again. Now I am very happy with how it turned out.”

Zoe K., age 13, DeWitt Middle School

Spaced Out

Newspaper, glue, paper, pencil , colored pencils, markers

“This piece shows the artist and the four key things that contribute to their mental health: anxiety, depression, bullying, and school. With clips of newspaper because a lot of anxiety and depression comes from things we can’t control and it’s in space because a lot of the time we space out and that is when we stress.”

Sky F., age 15, Ithaca High School

Mask

Digital Print

“This piece is meant to show the feeling of needing to appear calm and happy while feeling the opposite. On one side, the face is serene and smiling, with soft light coming from above, and on the other side she is screaming and lit from below. This shows how the way we feel and the way we appear are often very different.”

Ella H., age 16, Ithaca Senior High School

Mirror of Insecurities

Watercolor, pencils, and markers

“My portrait is a depiction of how a person might see themselves. On the right side, I used colored pencils to depict how I look in real life. On the left side, I used markers to depict my insecurities and how I think other people might perceive me. This portrait shows how you can never really know how someone feels about themselves on the outside, and that we should all be kind and understanding to each other.”

Luke S., age 15, Ithaca High School

Half the Story

Digital Print

“It’s only half the story. They don’t see everything, they don’t understand, they are blind to your strengths. They see only what they want to.”

Freyja, age 14, Ithaca High School

The Color Within

Colored pencil, watercolor, pen

“Part of my process for making this piece was drawing a current self-portrait (One of a photo I just took of myself) and then ripping it in half. I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go after that, but I knew that I wanted to make something interesting with color. So with color creeping out of the second portrait in the middle I thought that it fit the theme perfectly. The colored portrait on the inside representing how bullying or mental health can cause your true self to hibernate or retract back into and not truly shine.”

Finn K., age 15, Ithaca High School

Small

Charcoal

“It’s a small portrait created with charcoal. I thought smudged charcoal would be a cool effect to show the facial expression.”

NEXT: Self Portraits of Youth (Part 3)

Self-Portraits of Youth (Part 1)

thesophiefund

Twenty-nine young artists explored inner feelings of identity in an art exhibition organized in October by the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County.

“How I See Myself: Self-Portraits of Youth and Young Adults” featured invited art works by youth aged 10-17, who were celebrated at a First Friday Gallery Night Ithaca reception on November 3. The exhibition formed part of “United in Kindness,” a series of events coordinated by the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force.

“Some pieces expressed the difficult feelings that can result from bullying, others shared messages of hope and recognition that we are more than how other people see us,” said Melanie Little, director of Peer Programming at the Mental Health Association. She added that many of the 90 guests who attended the reception “remarked on the talent, depth and vulnerability demonstrated in the powerful works of these local young artists.”

The exhibition was curated by Ithaca artist Michael Sampson, a member of the Artist Alley studios and curator at The Gallery at South Hill.

“I see with the artists self-portraits an extremely individual body of work in the show,” Sampson said. “That individuality empowers the artists to continue with their artwork and use it as a tool to combat any struggles.”

“The theme gave the artists almost an assignment to face difficult things by using visual language to express what would otherwise be kept inside. Some artists in their statements gave advice, which was sweet and showed their compassion for others.”

“How I See Myself” was made possible in part by a grant from The Sophie Fund, which is honored to share the exhibition here. Thanks and bravo to the artists.

Autumn S., age 12

Through My Looking Glass

Digital print

“When I received the opportunity to make a self-portrait for this show, I leapt at the chance to participate because I enjoy sharing my work with others. While drawing I used a mirror and started wondering, ‘How can I make this more 3D?’ After working with the piece a few times and fiddling with the color scheme, shading, and background, I found a combination I was happy with. I feel that the final piece represents my artistic self well.”

Elise S., age 16, Ithaca High School

Internal Conflicts

Charcoal, pencil, collage materials

“This project is still a working process. I’m planning to cut out the figures and create a collage with it. I want to represent the two different sides of grief. Obviously you will have some sadness in your anger and some anger in your sadness. For the collage I want mostly pictures that either remind me of my father or pictures that remind me of his presence.”

Vivian B., age 15, Ithaca High School

The Fire Inside

Procreate

“The artwork is about the light and fire that each person has within themselves, and no matter what happens their light will still be burning.”

Juliet C., age 17, Ithaca High School

Juju

Watercolor

“This piece is a watercolor self-portrait that captures the mix of emotions that happen when being caught in a moment of excitement.”

Katie H., age 16, and Hannah A., age 16, Ithaca High School

Aramilla

Oil pastel on paper

“We wanted to create a portrait of an abstract person who symbolizes our inner thoughts and feelings. We wanted to show, in the most colorful and creative way, our biggest insecurity.”

Amelia D., age 13, DeWitt Middle School

The Mask

Paper and pencil

“Throughout the day her face is cracking because of all the rude comments but she wears a mask and puts it on every day and soon she´ll fully break under all the pressure.”

Sadie V., age 15, Ithaca High School

Modicum of True Self

Oil pastels

“When people are mistreated it’s often because only a small portion of their true selves is understood. If we give others a chance a whole world will open and we will be able to see the beauty in everyone.”

Violet W., age 10, Dryden Elementary

Meant To Be

Colored pencil on paper

“This piece of art is very valuable to people who are getting bullied or people who are being a bully. I made this because I wanted to help make people know that they belong and let them know that they matter.”

Katie H., age 16, Ithaca High School

Fingers in the Face

Mixed media

“This painting shows how the way we perceive ourselves is a lot worse than the way others perceive us. Sometimes we are the biggest bully to ourselves. For me, I always think one of my eyes is bigger than the other.”

Anisa P., age 11, DeWitt Middle School

Still Standing

Paint on canvas

“This is a piece about the effects of bullying and how they can get to people. But in this painting it was about how you can’t let what they say get to you.”

NEXT: Self Portraits of Youth (Part 2)

Dryden Unites: Spreading Kindness Across the Community

thesophiefund

Dryden Central School District (DCSD) made it a priority to take part in the United in Kindness program organized by the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force in October.

But DCSD’s engagement is a multifaceted campaign that will continue throughout the 2023-2024 school year. The district is promoting the campaign on its social media platforms.

DCSD kicked off its United in Kindness campaign with Unity Day on October 18, calling on community members to wear orange—the color for bullying prevention—”for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.” School bulletin boards were festooned with kindness messages, and all school cafeterias served meals with orange-colored items. Middle and high school students were given orange-colored United in Kindness wristbands to wear. School staff wore specially designed orange t-shirts with the slogan “Be the Unity in Community.”

The district is hosting guest speakers, such as Brandi Remington, TST-BOCES Youth Development Coordinator, who gave a presentation for parents about New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (DASA).

DCSD launched a “Mental Health 101” website, which provides community resources, mental health services, and social emotional learning opportunities.

DCSD libraries created an array of books with themes on kindness and giving back. During the month of February, the school district will distribute to preK-12 students and community members bookmarks with kindness messages and reminders to include everyone and be respectful of other people’s differences.

Another kindness initiative involving students was a food drive, with donation boxes placed outside classrooms, to support Dryden families during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Student athletes brought their own contributions to Dryden’s campaign. Dryden High School cheerleaders created mental health awareness posters and posted them around school as signs of mindfulness for their classmates.

Even before the United in Kindness campaign began, Dryden Lacrosse player Tyler Franzese along with high school coaches and teammates created Dryden’s “You Matter” initiative to promote mental health and suicide prevention at “mental health games” sporting events. The initiative, which has been featured on Nick Karski’s “Between the Lines” ESPN podcast, honors former assistant Lacrosse coach Matt Williams, who died by suicide in 2022.

For Dryden games, players wear “You Matter” t-shirts during warmups and purple and teal suicide prevention ribbons on the field. The school sells the “You Matter” shirts to raise money to support the expansion of the district’s mental health resources.

The initiative says its mission is “to help people through their inner struggles, no matter how big or small, by promoting positive mental health and suicide prevention.” It encourages people to talk about their struggles and to be open to help with their mental and emotional health.

United in Kindness, designed to observe National Bullying Prevention Month, showcases all of the great work taking place around Tompkins County and act as a reminder that each of our individual efforts come together to support a culture of acceptance and kindness. Many agencies, school districts, groups, and individuals are working together to build empathy, self awareness, social skills, and holistic health that is needed to cultivate a culture of kindness.

In a world where our days are filled with activity, responsibility, and a constant flow of information, the importance of mental health can be overlooked. Yet, it is an essential part of our overall well being.

DCSD recognizes that the road to better mental health is not a linear path. It is okay to have setbacks or hard days. What is important is the commitment to move forward and invest in our own wellbeing. By attending to our own mental health, we can inspire others to do the same.

—By Mary Hicks and Lara Patz

Mary Hicks is a social worker and Lara Patz is a public relations specialist in the Dryden Central School District

Keep up with Dryden’s United in Kindness campaign on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

Photo credits: Dryden Central School District Facebook page

United in Kindness Month 2023!

thesophiefund

The Tompkins County Legislature has proclaimed October “United in Kindness Month.” Legislature Chairwoman Shawna Black issued the proclamation after the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force coordinated a series of 13 events with kindness themes for the month.

Chairwoman Shawna Black presents proclamation to Task Force member Brandi Remington

Brandi Remington, Youth Development Coordinator at TST BOCES and Task Force member, was on hand to receive the proclamation at a legislative meeting on October 3.

“October is National Bullying Prevention Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and includes Digital Citizenship Week,” Remington said in remarks to the Legislature.

“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.”

But Remington recalled words of the philosopher Buckminster Fuller, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

She said that the United in Kindness series “is meant to showcase all the great work taking place in our community and remind us that each of our individual efforts come together to create a culture of acceptance and kindness.”

“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.

“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.”

VIEW OR DOWNLOAD: United in Kindness Event Series for October 2023

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.



DOWNLOAD: United in Kindness Month proclamation

We’re United in Kindness

thesophiefund

United in Kindness is back again in Tompkins County this October!

United in Kindness is a series of events and activities organized by the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force for National Bullying Prevention Month and National Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.

DOWNLOAD: United in Kindness Schedule

This year the series includes “Huddle Together: Mental Health for Athletes Week”; a story walk with a book giveaway for kids in Lansing; a creative writing workshop for youth at Tompkins County Public Library; and Fall Family Fun Day at the Mental Health Association on the Commons

One of the highlights is How I See Myself, where youth ages 5-21 are invited to create and submit self portrait artworks for an art exhibition starting October 26 at the Outreach Center in Center Ithaca. The exhibition will host a reception on Friday Gallery Night on November 3.

According to organizer Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, “Bullying can affect the way we see ourselves, and art can be a healing and a powerful way of communicating those feelings. Our mission for this exhibit is to send the message that we are not alone, that bullying prevention matters, and that we each have a powerful voice to contribute.”

Dryden Central School District will launch a year-long campaign to promote kindness, includes a family dinner with a discussion about bullying, student “be kind” pledges, and more.

This year’s United in Kindness features three professional presentations on bullying and cyberbullying.

Stephanie S. Fredrick, associate director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention at the University at Buffalo, presents “Cyberbullying and Social Media Use: Overview and Implications for schools and families.”

Brandi Remington, TST-Boces Youth Development Coordinator, presents “Dignity for All Students Act: Empowering Parents & Caregivers to Address Bullying.”

And author James Garbarino presents “And Words Can Hurt Forever: How to protect adolescents from bullying, harassment, and emotional violence.”

Huddle Together: Mental Health for Athletes Week 9/27 through 10/10

@ Cornell University &  Ithaca High School

Home sports events are branded as “Mental Health Awareness” games with information available about community resources. 

Free Hugs @ Apple Harvest Festival 9/29 through 10/1 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

@ Ithaca Commons

Free Hugs Ithaca and Be Kind Ithaca team up to give away t-shirts and iconic Be Kind hearts—and actual hugs—to dozens of lucky Apple Fest attendees.

Domestic Violence Reading Kits 10/1 through 10/31

@ Public & school libraries and select other locations, Advocacy Center kits contain reading lists for teens & adults, healthy relationship bookmarks, support resources, and purple ribbons for Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.

How I See Myself 10/9 through 11/6

@ Mental Health Association Outreach Center in Center Ithaca

Tompkins County youth ages 5-21 are invited to create and submit self portrait artworks by 10/9 deadline. Creative art exhibition from 10/26–11/6 at the Outreach Center @ Center Ithaca. Gallery Night Reception 11/3 5-8 p.m.

Story Walk 10/14 10 a.m.-12 Noon

@ Lansing Center Trail, 104 Auburn Road, Lansing—(Scoops Ice Cream parking lot)

A guided read-aloud of Nook, by Sally Anne Garland. Plus bookmaking and activities for the whole family.

8th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest 10/14 10 a. m.-4 p.m.

Bernie Milton Pavilion

Fun event including live music and information tables to raise awareness about mental health. Contest submissions from 10 a.m.-12 Noon

United in Kindness in Dryden October through June

Schools throughout Dryden Central School District

A year-long campaign to promote kindness kicks off 10/16.

United in Words 10/21 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Tompkins County Public Library

Young Adult novelist Bree Barton leads a fun, interactive youth writing workshop for Tompkins County students with a focus on creativity, collaboration, and cool prizes.

Cyberbullying & Social Media 10/24 12 Noon-1 p.m.

On Zoom

Symposium for parents and caregivers on keeping children safe from cyberbullying by Stephanie S. Fredrick of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention.

Empowering Parents & Caregivers to Address Bullying 10/25 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

On Zoom

A presentation about New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act by Brandi Remington, TST-Boces Youth Development Coordinator.

And Words Can Hurt Forever 10/27 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

@ Mental Health Association Outreach Center in Center Ithaca

Presentation on how to protect adolescents from bullying, harassment, and emotional violence by author James Garbarino.

Clothesline Project 10/28 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

@ Ithaca Farmers Market

Advocacy Center invites people to write Acts of Kindness messages on paper hearts for a temporary display and view Clothesline Project t-shirts with uplifting messages of support for abuse survivors.

Fall Family Fun Day 10/28 12 Noon-3 p.m.

@ Mental Health Association Outreach Center in Center Ithaca

Snacks, crafts, games, pumpkin painting, cookie decorating + info about family peer support.

For more information about bullying and the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force, go to: https://thesophiefund.org/bullying/