Author | Permission to Use Info
Tyler Clementi
December 19, 1991 – September 22, 2010
Imagine how great if it would be if kids knew from the first day of school or camp that their new community was going to be as supportive as possible of every person and would not tolerate cruelty of any kind.
Kidpower is proud to be a partner with the Tyler Clementi Foundation’s #Day1 Campaign that aims to do just that by providing adult leaders with a two-minute orientation speech that states clearly the unacceptability of bullying, harassment, and other forms of prejudice –and what to do to stop it if it happens.
People in positions of authority in schools, organizations, businesses, and communities can use the #Day1 script and Upstander Pledge to be clear about expectations from Day One with their new students, staff, volunteers, and other participants – and to reaffirm their personal commitment to create a safe and respectful place for all their members. It is so powerful to set a positive expectation that everyone will be welcome here, and no one will be bullied or harassed about their race, culture, size, sexual orientation, gender identify, appearance, faith, political beliefs, class, or mental or physical disabilities.
Tyler Clementi was a freshman at Rutgers University who killed himself in despair after his roommate publicly broadcast a webcam video of Tyler in an intimate moment with another man. This incident represents a cruel example of cyberbullying, homophobia, and an utter violation of an innocent person’s feelings and privacy. Tyler’s roommate Dharun Ravi was convicted of a bias crime and invasionof privacy and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
While nothing can bring Tyler back, the Clementi family has established the foundation in Tyler’s memory with the purpose of taking action to prevent what happened to their son from happening to others.
This campaign furthers Kidpower’s vision of working together to create cultures of caring, respect, and safety for everyone, everywhere – and we encourage you to download the Day#1 Statement and use it in places where you have a position of authority – and to give it to leaders in all the groups and communities where you or your children work, play, learn, volunteer, or worship.
Sean Kosofsky, Executive Director of the Tyler Clementi Foundation, says, “We greatly appreciate Kidpower’s consultation on #Day1, in order to create a #Day1 statement that is as strong, clear, and inclusive as possible. We also want to acknowledge the important work Kidpower does teaching people physical and emotional safety skills that will help them become Upstanders who apply these positive values to themselves and others in their daily lives.”
Additional Resources
Safety for LGBTQIA+ Teens and Young Adults: 7 Strategies from Kidpower
Sexual Harassment: Another Kind of Pollution
For Phillip Parker, dead at 14: Loving Kids is Not Enough
Kidpower LGBTQIA+ Resource Page
Published: June 15, 2015 | Last Updated: December 16, 2016
Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.