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Tyler Clementi
December 19, 1991 – September 22, 2010
Imagine how great it would be if everyone knew from the first day of school, camp, or a new job 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. It provides community leaders with resources to communicate clearly, in just two minutes, 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 choose a #Day1 Toolkit designed for their situation – with different versions tailored to different age groups and situations, including schools, university Greek systems, workplaces, faith communities, and others.
The #Day1 Toolkit resources help leaders set a positive expectation with their new students, employees, volunteers, athletes, and other participants that everyone will be welcome here and that no one will be bullied or harassed about their race, culture, size, sexual orientation, gender identity, appearance, faith, political beliefs, class, or abilities.
To empower everyone in a community with skills to transform the #Day1 expectation into action on an everyday basis, we encourage you to use and share the following resources as well:
Turning Bullying Prevention Policies Into Powerful Action
Being Worthy of Trust To Keep Kids Safe from Abuse, Bullying, and Other Harm
Social Aggression and Relational Aggression: Kidpower Skills for Recognizing the Problem and Staying Safe
Adult Bullying: 5 Skills to Protect Yourself and Others
Make Safety and Respect the Way It Is
Integrity In Communication
Tyler Clementi Foundation was formed as a result of a tragic act of bullying: in 2010, Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University, 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 invasion of 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. We encourage you to use the #Day1 Toolkit resources in groups where you have a position of authority – and to give it to leaders in all the groups and communities where you or your loved ones 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.”
Published: May 27, 2021 | Last Updated: May 27, 2021
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.