School-Based Bullying and Violence Prevention Program

Say It With Heart is a school-based bullying and violence prevention program designed for grade K-12 that encourages healthy self-image, effective communication and positive relationships within the school community. The Say It With Heart program places trained instructors in schools where they teach nonviolent interpersonal skills to students. Say It With Heart also works with parents and teachers to support respectful means of communicating and resolving conflicts with children.

After working in the school system since 1980, Challenge Discovery Projects saw the need to improve the emotional, social, and academic outlook of the whole student body as opposed to just the students identified as "problems." As a result, Challenge Discovery Projects developed its Say It With Heart program in 2000. Say It With Heart addresses the serious issue of bullying and violence in our schools and communities. Research suggests that one of four children in the United States is bullied and one of five students define themselves as a bully (Lumsden, 2002). Bullying, shaming, and other violent behaviors negatively affect the learning experience and personal growth of students.

The Say It With Heart curriculum was designed to give children the skills to learn and grow personally in a challenging environment where bullying and shaming are often commonplace. It is age appropriate with subject matter, language, and activities evolving as students develop. Trained instructors teach a one-hour lesson weekly. The 15-week curriculum is structured to teach and reinforce critical skills such as tolerance, empathy, effective communication, and understanding personal boundaries. Through role-playing, classroom instruction, and mentoring, students develop character, self-discipline, and impulse control. Say It With Heart conforms to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Best Practice in Bullying and Prevention.

Say It With Heart is available in the following Richmond Public Schools: Miles Jones; Woodville and Fairfield Court Elementary Schools–1st, 3rd, and 5th grades; Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School–6th grade and Armstrong High School–9th grade. Students attending these schools live in some of the most crime affected and impoverished public housing sections in Richmond. Their families have a median household income significantly less than the national average and 98 percent of the students qualify for free/reduced lunches. Say It With Heart influences over 800 children, their families, and teachers annually in the Richmond area.

To learn more about our Say It With Heart program, please contact us at (804) 643-0002.