STAND FOR COURAGE
Welcome
Who We Are
The Stand for Courage Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to changing the conversation and cultural reaction around bullying. Instead of identifying as another bullying prevention program, Stand for Courage focuses on creating a new culture (within youth, their school environment, and community) which allows each of us the room to grow into our best selves. The Stand for Courage statement embodies the key to changing the hostility encountered in social interactions:
It's not the bully. It's not the victim.
It's you.
Don't be a bystander.
Step up, step in, speak out, and get caught doing the right thing.
The movement promotes awareness about peer mistreatment, empowers advocacy for and from all youth, by engaging community, professional, and celebrity partners to celebrate diversity in brave youth who everyday are standing for courage. Our goal is to change the world, one celebrated youth at a time.
The Stand for Courage Foundation was founded in 2011 by Nicole Jon Sievers and is made up of an Executive Board, Advisors, a Youth Leadership (Youth Advisory Board, Youth Mentors), and Staff. In addition, the Stand for Courage Foundation is supported by community, professional, and private Partners. All individuals in the SFC foundation are working together to make the vision and symbol of Stand for Courage a household name and change agent.
Platforms of Change
In Schools
As a movement, we lead and empower America’s young people to rise in defense of their own rights and the rights of others. We recognize that each individual has one indisputable job: to be the best self that they can be. By inspiring communities to encourage individual positive strength and mutual respect, we create an environment where our youth grow as people and succeed.
Our program begins in Portland, Oregon. Youth grades 6-12 are invited to nominate one another for Stand For Courage awards.
With Celebrity Support and Award Ceremony
The Stand For Courage award takes a very different approach to the bullying prevention movement! To get the attention of the youth who most frequently bully... we throw the best party in town (metaphorically and literally); our guest list includes culture makers from local to national celebrities.
All youth have the potential to “get caught doing the right thing,” including youth who bully yet change their behavior. We use evidence-based practices, interpersonal neurobiology, a strengths perspective, youth led initiatives, local to National culture makers...a movement that is compelling enough to catch every one's attention and create a shift away from discrimination and bullying and toward inclusively and strength.
Recognition and awards will be presented to selected individuals at several major events including concerts and sports games beginning in the fall of 2014. Nomination forms will be available on our website, in schools, and at community centers and events.
As a movement, we lead and empower America’s young people to rise in defense of their own rights and the rights of others. We recognize that each individual has one indisputable job: to be the best self that they can be. By inspiring communities to encourage individual positive strength and mutual respect, we create an environment where our youth grow as people and succeed.
Our program begins in Portland, Oregon. Youth grades 6-12 are invited to nominate one another for Stand For Courage awards.
With Celebrity Support and Award Ceremony
The Stand For Courage award takes a very different approach to the bullying prevention movement! To get the attention of the youth who most frequently bully... we throw the best party in town (metaphorically and literally); our guest list includes culture makers from local to national celebrities.
All youth have the potential to “get caught doing the right thing,” including youth who bully yet change their behavior. We use evidence-based practices, interpersonal neurobiology, a strengths perspective, youth led initiatives, local to National culture makers...a movement that is compelling enough to catch every one's attention and create a shift away from discrimination and bullying and toward inclusively and strength.
Recognition and awards will be presented to selected individuals at several major events including concerts and sports games beginning in the fall of 2014. Nomination forms will be available on our website, in schools, and at community centers and events.
Stand With Us
Invite Us
Help your school, community organization or your friends know about Stand For Courage! We need to let those in grades 6-12 know about our organization and how they can be nominated for awards. You can start by telling them about our website, nominate them for an award or make a video and post it. You can like us on Facebook or post about our movement or follow our tweets. We are working for you.
Stand For Courage will be establishing teams at schools, community centers and within organizations. If you would like to help us implement our program at your location, join us below and let us know!
Help your school, community organization or your friends know about Stand For Courage! We need to let those in grades 6-12 know about our organization and how they can be nominated for awards. You can start by telling them about our website, nominate them for an award or make a video and post it. You can like us on Facebook or post about our movement or follow our tweets. We are working for you.
Stand For Courage will be establishing teams at schools, community centers and within organizations. If you would like to help us implement our program at your location, join us below and let us know!
We Have Taken a Stand. Now We Need Your Support!
Promising News
Stand For Courage bullying and suicide prevention foundation has groundbreaking news this Spring of 2017 from our high school academic study of more than 4000 students. Self-reports of victimization decreased by more than 50% in the high schools in which the Stand For Courage bullying prevention practices were actively taught and adopted compared with “control” schools not exposed to the intervention. Notably, this is the first intervention of its kind offering statistically validated empirical evidence to qualify our program as a best practice and as a highly effective anti-bullying and suicide prevention program. Importantly, Stand For Courage is a not-for-profit, open source intervention —meaning that any school around the world can choose to download the curriculum and creatively bring the program to life by focusing upon student- led, peer-to-peer interactions and incentives.
Of particular interest was the overall reporting of enhanced positive school culture attributed to the Stand For Courage Leadership teams. Students, nominated by their peers as trustworthy, were invited to participate in the SFC Leadership team being told, "Your peers have nominated you as someone who can positively change the culture of the school." The leadership teams developed strategies that would be most effective in their schools, including specific strategies for recognizing stand-up behavior. SFC student leadership teams then provided reinforcement to their peers who had been nominated for Stand For Courage awards. Evidence from the study suggests that direct personal recognition from an admired peer was an extremely powerful incentive for stand-up behavior. It also appears that combining this peer-to-peer recognition with a modest token of appreciation (i.e. football tickets, a coveted parking spot, cookies, tickets to the dance, school lunches, etc.) accentuated the positive outcomes. Schools took various additional approaches to supporting the program: couches in the quad, Twitter accounts, and Facebook accounts to shout-out to nominated peers. It appears that by assembling a team of trusted students, their organized and inspired spirit propagates into the overall high school milieu, eventually providing positive influence on students who had sought attention in the past through bullying behaviors.
Stand For Courage Leadership teams now exist in high schools in Kentucky, Utah, and Colorado with Colorado scaling up the intervention into additional schools throughout the state. We are bringing Stand For Courage to several Seattle schools starting in September, 2017. A research article describing the data above is in development.
Of particular interest was the overall reporting of enhanced positive school culture attributed to the Stand For Courage Leadership teams. Students, nominated by their peers as trustworthy, were invited to participate in the SFC Leadership team being told, "Your peers have nominated you as someone who can positively change the culture of the school." The leadership teams developed strategies that would be most effective in their schools, including specific strategies for recognizing stand-up behavior. SFC student leadership teams then provided reinforcement to their peers who had been nominated for Stand For Courage awards. Evidence from the study suggests that direct personal recognition from an admired peer was an extremely powerful incentive for stand-up behavior. It also appears that combining this peer-to-peer recognition with a modest token of appreciation (i.e. football tickets, a coveted parking spot, cookies, tickets to the dance, school lunches, etc.) accentuated the positive outcomes. Schools took various additional approaches to supporting the program: couches in the quad, Twitter accounts, and Facebook accounts to shout-out to nominated peers. It appears that by assembling a team of trusted students, their organized and inspired spirit propagates into the overall high school milieu, eventually providing positive influence on students who had sought attention in the past through bullying behaviors.
Stand For Courage Leadership teams now exist in high schools in Kentucky, Utah, and Colorado with Colorado scaling up the intervention into additional schools throughout the state. We are bringing Stand For Courage to several Seattle schools starting in September, 2017. A research article describing the data above is in development.
Luminary Ambassadors
Bringing Luminary recognition into the program incentivizes and strengthens peer to peer recognition within the schools by bringing new levels of excitement and interest. Pop culture drives peer culture. We are harnessing the positive strength of pop culture and social media to enhance the educational environment. Our campaign asks Luminaries to post a photograph or video with a SFC shirt, sticker, poster, tagged with a shout- out to our mission. For example a football team in SFC shirts shouting-out: "you stand for courage...we stand for you." Luminaries can get creative and personalize (and we hope they do) or keep it simple and just post the picture. These most encouraging data from the Stand For Courage intervention invites us to scale up to support students with work that we know is creating significant impact towards solving a national crisis.
It is more important than ever to bring tools of dignity and to create environments that work for all. Our program is implemented for a mere $500 per school with an impact that is life-altering and in some cases life-saving. Please consider supporting us in supporting all of our youth.
It is more important than ever to bring tools of dignity and to create environments that work for all. Our program is implemented for a mere $500 per school with an impact that is life-altering and in some cases life-saving. Please consider supporting us in supporting all of our youth.
What We Are Asking
ACCESS: Do you have access to any known luminaries/celebrities/groups that would be willing to consider publicly acknowledging a child recognized as someone who has successfully prevented peer-bullying or wear our shirt showing support to SFC?
Bringing this recognition into the program incentivizes and strengthens children through a tangible social incentive of excitement and interest. Pop culture drives peer culture.
We are harnessing the positive strength of pop culture and social media to enhance the educational environment. Participation could be as significant as meeting an impacted child – or as simple as the celebrity posting a “shout out” supporting our mission.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT: To date, SFC has been entirely funded through an American Psychological Association Visionary grant and the generosity of our supporters. These resources have created the program we have today – but it is time to bring our message to a broader audience. We cannot do this without your financial support! Please consider making a one-time or recurring tax-deductible financial donation to SFC to help stop the plague of bullying.
PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT: A large part of our success is due to the generous contribution of resources from members of our Board. If you have experience or skills that you think could support our program – we would love your participation – please email me and let me know how you can help!
In deep gratitude, respect and hope.
Nicole Jon Sievers, MSW, LCSW
Stand For Courage Founder, Executive Director
Bringing this recognition into the program incentivizes and strengthens children through a tangible social incentive of excitement and interest. Pop culture drives peer culture.
We are harnessing the positive strength of pop culture and social media to enhance the educational environment. Participation could be as significant as meeting an impacted child – or as simple as the celebrity posting a “shout out” supporting our mission.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT: To date, SFC has been entirely funded through an American Psychological Association Visionary grant and the generosity of our supporters. These resources have created the program we have today – but it is time to bring our message to a broader audience. We cannot do this without your financial support! Please consider making a one-time or recurring tax-deductible financial donation to SFC to help stop the plague of bullying.
PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT: A large part of our success is due to the generous contribution of resources from members of our Board. If you have experience or skills that you think could support our program – we would love your participation – please email me and let me know how you can help!
In deep gratitude, respect and hope.
Nicole Jon Sievers, MSW, LCSW
Stand For Courage Founder, Executive Director
The Stand For Courage Star Gallery
It's not the bully.
It's not the victim.
It's you.
Don't be a bystander.
Stand up, step in, and speak out.
Get caught doing the right thing:
Stand For Courage.
Download Our Free App
Click HERE for details.
“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”
― Jane Austen
Ruth19