Service Learning In ACTION: Young Poets Fight Bullying

The worst thing about being bullied isn’t the abuse itself, but the feeling of helplessness. Striking back physically isn’t a good option and no one wants to be labeled a tattletale, so what is an embattled young person supposed to do? Wear a sumo wrestler costume to school? Hire a bodyguard? As a group of young people in New York City proved, a particularly resonant rhyme—combined with teamwork—can be the best defense against bullies.

It all started with a discussion among Bronx middle-schoolers enrolled in the Teen ACTION (Achieving Change Together In Our Neighborhood) program at Middle School 218. Teen ACTION is a Service Learning initiative administered by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD).

After much back-and-forth, MS 218 students identified bullying as the issue they wanted to tackle for their Teen ACTION project. And because the pen is mightier than the sword, they decided to organize a poetry slam where their peers could raise a united voice against physical and emotional bullying. Some 150 students, parents and community members attended the slam, which featured poetry and skits exposing the fears and insecurities that motivate most bullies. The students were joined by Urban Word, a local poetry organization, and the New York Civil Liberties Union, which distributed materials informing young people of their rights.

The program at MS 218 is operated by Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo), which has received awards for their high participation rate and for operating the longest-running Teen ACTION program. There are currently 57 Teen ACTION programs operating throughout the City. The initiative is part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Center for Economic Opportunity anti-poverty initiative, which has committed more than $150 million annually to exploring innovative approaches to poverty reduction. Other amazing Teen ACTION projects:

Hospital Audiences, Inc. (HAI), Brooklyn
Project Description: Students document community strengths and weaknesses through photography. They then use their photographs to engage political leaders, community members, and the press in a conversation about making positive changes.

Aspira of New York, Bronx
Project Description: Aspira launched a comprehensive youth-led project on health disparities in the Bronx. The youth generated a peer-to-peer survey covering health and social issues. Participants then presented their findings at the National Conference on Urban Planning in New York City, and also traveled to Washington, DC for a youth and urban government summit.

Groundwork, Inc., Brooklyn
Project Description: Deeply touched by the plight of Hurricane Katrina victims, participants organized a fund-raising drive that resulted in a three-day trip to New Orleans to work with Habitat for Humanity on a rebuilding project.

To learn more about Teen ACTION, please visit the DCYD website at http://www.nyc.gov/dycd.