Anyone who knew Amy Hayes when she was growing up in Nashville would characterize her as outgoing and an extrovert. They also would say she was sensitive with regards to other people’s feelings and tuned in to children who didn’t always fit in. “Even as a child, I was highly aware of kids who...
Our Hello Friendship initiative inspires friendships but requires a secret ingredient: YOU! Inspiring friendships, disrupting social isolation, and creating cultures of belonging – these are the fundamental ingredients that make up the Beyond Differences mission. We believe that our...
“He yelled hate at me and my grandma and no one did anything. I have to ride that bus tomorrow. My mom tells me to be safe, but how am I supposed to NOT be Asian?” The young man’s tearful rage made the Zoom classroom fall silent. As I looked out at my students, every single one was looking away...
As I get ready to jump into this school year and finalize content for Beyond Differences National Educator Cohorts, I reflect on a social and emotional learning (SEL) workshop Beyond Differences hosted in partnership with Marin County Office of Education for 5th- 8th-grade educators, counselors,...
This week, JAMA Pediatrics released a review of 29 studies from around the world that shows a 25 percent spike in anxiety depression and 20 percent rise in anxiety for children and teens since the pandemic began. The meta-analysis included more than 80,000 youth ages 4-17 with a...
Guest Author: Lucy HaysBeyond Differences Teen Board Member Every day in middle school I would eat lunch with my group of friends. In the earlier, sunnier part of the school year, we would eat in the courtyard. One day, I was sitting with our other friends, eating my sandwich. However, two of our...
Guest Author: Danika Clifford Beyond Differences Teen Board Leader Have you ever noticed how many kids sit alone at lunch or walk by themselves between classes, while other groups of kids happily walk around flaunting their connections and friendships? Why do kids feel compelled to ignore others...
Today’s teenagers average over 6.5 hours per day of screen time. Being connected is literally a full-time job for them, possibly explaining why the number of teens holding a part-time job has dropped dramatically. They have more leisure time and 24/7 social access. But is it making them happy?...
The 2018-2019 school year marks Beyond Differences third year of programming in Portland, OR. We started off this school year with six Portland Teen Board members going to the Bay Area to participate in the CA Teen Board Retreat. After a successful and fun weekend, the teens came back...
November App Alert: This month’ App Alert looks at tbh, an anonymous teen compliment app for iPhone users available at the App Store. Designed with bullying prevention in mind, tbh claims to be “the only anonymous app with positive vibes.” BASIC INFO Tbh, short for, To Be Honest, is an...
This post looks at 13 Reasons Why, the Netflix series produced by Selena Gomez based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Jay Asher. A deeply disturbing series about teen suicide, parents should know that the series depicts bullying, abuse, drunk driving, slut shaming, and physical rape, as...
January App Alert: This month’s App Alert looks at Houseparty, a live-streaming group video chat app for Android and iPhone users available on Google Play and the App Store. BASIC INFO Houseparty is a multi-user video chat. It’s like Skype or Facebook Messenger video except that users can chat...