National
Be Kind Online® Day

Learn More About Be Kind Online®

Be Kind Online® is a Positive Prevention Initiative for middle school children that includes an original curriculum, a national awareness day, and student leadership training. It teaches children how to be activists that work to combat social isolation online. National Be Kind Online® Day is an in-school special event for students across the country that is supported by a curriculum that focuses on nurturing healthy relationships and behaviors online.

Be Kind Online® Day is brought to you by Beyond Differences® to support students as they learn to be authentic and compassionate online. Students will be challenged to think about whether their online behaviors match their real-life personality. Like No One Eats Alone Day in the lunchroom, Be Kind Online® Day aims to change the culture of middle school to one of acceptance and inclusion online.

 

Be Kind Online® consists of three components:

  • Original Curriculum: Eight (8) stand-alone classroom lesson plans and three (3) student leadership lesson plans with accompanying worksheets, links to suggested videos, and fully scripted lesson plans and PowerPoints that will guide you and your class through each lesson. These lessons do not have to be delivered sequentially, but can be chosen according to your interests, what is happening in the news, or in response to the needs of your community. This Teacher Guide contains all the lesson plans, worksheets and resources needed.
  • National Be Kind Online® Day: a fun school-wide special event that takes place on the same day at schools across the country! This year, National Be Kind Online® Day is Friday, April 26, 2019 but it can be done any day that fits better with your school schedule. Hundreds of thousands of students will be advocating for inclusive and positive behavior online by creating a community mural in their school. Students will be making pledges of what they can personally do to combat social isolation online and make sure that no one feels disconnected! National Be Kind Online® Day is designed to be student-led. Beyond Differences® provides all the downloadable materials for the event free of charge. The national awareness day can be the culmination after working through the lessons, as a kickoff to begin utilizing the lessons, or as a stand-alone event. On National Be Kind Online® Day, students are reminded of the importance of creating an inclusive online community where everyone has respect. Everyone feels good, knowing they’ve contributed to a healthier, happier, and more positive online climate.
  • Student Leadership Training: additional lessons that guide students through the planning, preparation, and leading of National Be Kind Online® Day. Your student leaders can build their skills and inspire their classmates to create a culture of belonging at the same time! Leading the Beyond Differences® fall and winter Positive Prevention Initiatives, Know Your Classmates® and No One Eats Alone®, provides excellent, hands on training, and should really help build confidence in students by the spring event, Be Kind Online®!

Why should we do Be Kind Online®?

Be Kind Online® is a critical part of changing the culture of your middle school to one where all students feel included, valued and accepted in your school’s online community

Be Kind Online® works because of three simple ideas:

  • Students can improve their own communities: Students practice making tangible changes in their own online community by making sure they know how to recognize negative online behaviors, how to address them, and how to promote positivity and inclusion online.
  • Inclusive communities are stronger communities: Inclusive school communities create happier and more successful students while also allowing youth to empower themselves.
  • Inclusion helps prevents cyber-bullying: Social isolation online is often times the precursor for cyberbullying. School communities with an online culture of inclusion have far fewer instances of cyberbullying.

About Beyond Differences®

Beyond Differences® was founded by the parents of Lili Smith who was born with a cranial facial syndrome and was socially isolated during her middle school years. After Lili died at the age of 15 due to medical complications from her syndrome, a group of teens from the local community banded together to bring change to their local schools. They had not realized that they had been leaving Lili out from all the fun social get-togethers. But upon hearing about Lili’s feelings of being left out, they were determined to never let anyone feel that way again!

At Beyond Differences®, our core principle is to inspire and empower students to end social isolation in middle school through online and campus programs. We work directly with students – with the support of their teachers and administrators – because they are the real activists who can ensure acceptance and inclusion of one another. We are passionately focused on supporting youth in this process of making their middle schools more socially inclusive and less socially isolating.

We are thrilled that you are joining Beyond Differences® in this mission. Thank you!