I have yet to see this documentary, but I do hope it screens in the Los Angeles area.
May 26, 2011 9:31 am- taken from educationnews.org
Conceived by two girls who were victims of bullying, it encourages girls to find kindness and treat their peers with respect and dignity.
Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson have channeled their experience of being bullied in school into a documentary called “Finding Kind” to bring attention to the problem of girl-on-girl bullying, The Seattle Times reports. Now the filmmakers are setting up viewings around the country, including 6 scheduled showings in Seattle-area schools.
The film documents the stories of girls who have been bullied and those who have bullied others. Thompson said she was surprised by how many girls end up playing both roles. Both filmmakers say that they see their film as a mission and a way to motivate students to take up the cause of kindness.
On Tuesday, Thompson and Parsekian screened the film at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle. After the viewing, children were given an opportunity to write apology cards to those they’ve bullied, or use those cards to write down their own experience being bullied.
Parsekian says that the movie echoes her own experience as one of the popular kids who was subsequently ostracized by her friends. At the beginning of middle school, she became a victim of a lie made up by a boy and spread by other girls in her class. She said the lie ended up costing her friends and made her a target of threatening phone calls and theft. People threw things at her in the hall, and her homework was often stolen and ripped up.
Thompson had her own experiences with bullying during her school years. When she was 12, she was punched in the face by another girl and was abandoned by her friends who wouldn’t stand up for her.
She says that she made the movie to remind those who are going through similar experiences that it does get better and there are people out there who can help.
Smartypantz Blog 