Stop Bullying
Tax deductible
Want to join me in making a difference?
In 2009, I came across a headline in the Schenectady Gazette which read, ‘Schenectady student plagued by bullies before suicide’. What was even more disturbing was that the article identified three other teenage girls in the community who made the same choice – to commit suicide rather than endure the criminal bullying that they faced on a daily basis. I can’t tell you why this particular news story became a catalyst for me when there are stories of bullying, and sadly young people committing suicide, every day in every news outlet all over the country, but it did. The article was so disturbing, I vowed that I would do something so that no other young person would feel they had no way to stop a bully or any way to feel safe and that suicide was the only option. Life took a number of turns for me but I never lost sight of my vow to do something about this never-ending problem in our society – bullying.
In 2017, I started the non-profit organization, Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. (EY2E), specifically to join in the fight to reduce the capacity in our young people to bully. Since the problem of bullying has a foundation in both the behavior of the bully and the person being bullied, Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. is focused on providing a path to safety for the bullied, thereby reducing their capacity to be a target.
Since starting Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. our first and number one focus has been to create a path to increased safety for young people who are being bullied. We want our children to be safe and when they are targeted by bullies, they need a way to let someone know exactly where they are and that they need help.
So, in partnership with Adevco LLC, Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. has developed an app, Stop Bullying Defender, that with one click sends a text and email alert notifying the receiver that the sender needs help. Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. knows it's important to educate young people on the topic of bullying but we felt strongly that young people needed something more. When a young person is in the act of being bullied, they need a way to take action, a way to let someone know that they're in a potentially dangerous situation and they need help. The app also includes a Google Maps feature which, as part of the alert, pinpoints the user's location so that you can see exactly where the bullying incident is happening. At EY2E, we believe that it is critically important to stop acts of bullying so we have made the Stop Bullying Defender app available for free for iOS and android devices in the Apple and Google Play stores.
Empowering Youth 2 Excel Inc., with the Stop Bullying Defender app, is taking on the challenge of reducing the capacity in our youth to bully others. The Stop Bullying Defender app also provides a wealth of information, educational and local resources that are based on the user's own location. These additional educational features also help to reduce the capacity in our youth to be bullied by others.
As I said, it has been very important to me to take action; I have granddaughters and I know that I want them to have a quick, easy way to call for help if they’re being bullied or in any kind of danger. I couldn’t wait any longer to find financial support to build the tool that I know will help keep young people safe, so I personally funded the development of the app, the cost of hosting and its initial launch in the Apple and Google Play stores. Now, we're raising money to benefit Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. to ensure that the funding to cover the ongoing costs of hosting will be in place so this app will always be available to anyone who needs it.
The statistics on bullying and suicide are alarming:
§ Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.
§ Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University
§ A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying
§ 10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for suicide, according to the study above
§ According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying
(www.bullyingstatistics.org)
We hope you’ll choose to join us in this very important work, stopping the cycle of bullying in young people and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.
More information about Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. can be found at empoweringyouth2excel.com. EY2E's overall goal is to help reduce our youth's capacity to bully or be bullied. Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. and our partners at Adevco LLC, the app developer, are working to bring tools, technologies, and training to help today's youth build the confidence they need to become successful and productive adults.
In 2009, I came across a headline in the Schenectady Gazette which read, ‘Schenectady student plagued by bullies before suicide’. What was even more disturbing was that the article identified three other teenage girls in the community who made the same choice – to commit suicide rather than endure the criminal bullying that they faced on a daily basis. I can’t tell you why this particular news story became a catalyst for me when there are stories of bullying, and sadly young people committing suicide, every day in every news outlet all over the country, but it did. The article was so disturbing, I vowed that I would do something so that no other young person would feel they had no way to stop a bully or any way to feel safe and that suicide was the only option. Life took a number of turns for me but I never lost sight of my vow to do something about this never-ending problem in our society – bullying.
In 2017, I started the non-profit organization, Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. (EY2E), specifically to join in the fight to reduce the capacity in our young people to bully. Since the problem of bullying has a foundation in both the behavior of the bully and the person being bullied, Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. is focused on providing a path to safety for the bullied, thereby reducing their capacity to be a target.
Since starting Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. our first and number one focus has been to create a path to increased safety for young people who are being bullied. We want our children to be safe and when they are targeted by bullies, they need a way to let someone know exactly where they are and that they need help.
So, in partnership with Adevco LLC, Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. has developed an app, Stop Bullying Defender, that with one click sends a text and email alert notifying the receiver that the sender needs help. Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. knows it's important to educate young people on the topic of bullying but we felt strongly that young people needed something more. When a young person is in the act of being bullied, they need a way to take action, a way to let someone know that they're in a potentially dangerous situation and they need help. The app also includes a Google Maps feature which, as part of the alert, pinpoints the user's location so that you can see exactly where the bullying incident is happening. At EY2E, we believe that it is critically important to stop acts of bullying so we have made the Stop Bullying Defender app available for free for iOS and android devices in the Apple and Google Play stores.
Empowering Youth 2 Excel Inc., with the Stop Bullying Defender app, is taking on the challenge of reducing the capacity in our youth to bully others. The Stop Bullying Defender app also provides a wealth of information, educational and local resources that are based on the user's own location. These additional educational features also help to reduce the capacity in our youth to be bullied by others.
As I said, it has been very important to me to take action; I have granddaughters and I know that I want them to have a quick, easy way to call for help if they’re being bullied or in any kind of danger. I couldn’t wait any longer to find financial support to build the tool that I know will help keep young people safe, so I personally funded the development of the app, the cost of hosting and its initial launch in the Apple and Google Play stores. Now, we're raising money to benefit Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. to ensure that the funding to cover the ongoing costs of hosting will be in place so this app will always be available to anyone who needs it.
The statistics on bullying and suicide are alarming:
§ Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.
§ Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University
§ A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying
§ 10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for suicide, according to the study above
§ According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying
(www.bullyingstatistics.org)
We hope you’ll choose to join us in this very important work, stopping the cycle of bullying in young people and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.
More information about Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. can be found at empoweringyouth2excel.com. EY2E's overall goal is to help reduce our youth's capacity to bully or be bullied. Empowering Youth 2 Excel, Inc. and our partners at Adevco LLC, the app developer, are working to bring tools, technologies, and training to help today's youth build the confidence they need to become successful and productive adults.
Organizer
Victor Smith Sr
Organizer
Guilderland, NY
Empowering Youth 2Excel Inc
Beneficiary