As part of PACER Center’s fourth annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week, Oct. 4-10, 2009, Disney star and music sensation Demi Lovato has released three important public service announcements (PSAs) urging teens to join the movement against bullying.
A 60-second PSA is available on PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org, which Lovato helped launch in August. Created with and for teens, the fresh, edgy site offers videos, stories, blogs, and social networking to help teens learn how to deal effectively with bullying. PSAs (15- and 30-seconds) are also available on YouTube and social media channels.
Bullied herself in seventh grade, Lovato cares deeply about the cause. “I hope that by sharing my story, it will encourage other teens to speak out,” Lovato said. “No one deserves to be bullied.”
Every day, more than 160,000 children nationwide stay home from school to avoid bullying. Up to one-third of the nation’s students are bullied during the academic year, and the results of bullying can be devastating. PACER encourages people nationwide to work together during National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week to increase awareness of the prevalence and impact of bullying on all children.
In addition to visiting PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org for teens and PACERKidsAgainstBullying.org for elementary school children, people can help prevent bullying in several ways. Free activities and materials to help reduce bullying in schools, recreational programs, and community groups are available at PACER.org. Organizations and schools can partner with PACER by sending an e-mail to bullying411@PACER.org with the name of their school or organization and their Web site URL. Partners are listed on PACER’s bullying prevention Web sites.
The week is sponsored by PACER’s National Center for Bullying Prevention, which is for all children, including those with disabilities. It promotes national bullying awareness and teaches effective ways to respond to bullying. National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week is cosponsored by the American Federation for Teachers, National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, National Education Association, and School Social Work Association of America.
PACER Center is a national parent center located in Minneapolis, Minn. that serves all youth, with a special emphasis on children with disabilities. To learn more, visit PACER.org or call 952-838-9000; 800-53-PACER (Minnesota toll free); and 888-248-0822 (national toll free).
Contact:PACER Center 952-838-9000 800-53-PACER
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More