No Sticks. No Stones. No Dissing.

Spearheaded by the non-profit GLSEN: The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, No Name-Calling Week is held every January. Educational activities aim at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to foster a dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities.

THE HISTORY OF THE NO NAME-CALLING WEEK PROJECT

No Name-Calling Week was inspired by a young adult novel entitled “The Misfits” by popular author, James Howe. The book tells the story of four best friends trying to survive the seventh grade in the face of all too frequent taunts based on their weight, height, intelligence, and sexual orientation/gender expression. Motivated by the inequities they see around them, the “Gang of Five” (as they are known) creates a new political party during student council elections and run on a platform aimed at wiping out name-calling of all kinds. Though they lose the election, they win the support of the school’s principal for their cause and their idea for a “No Name-Calling Day” at school.

Motivated by this simple, yet powerful, idea, the No Name-Calling Week Coalition, created by GLSEN and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, and consisting of over 40 national partner organizations, organized an actual No Name-Calling Week in schools across the nation during the week of March 1-5, 2004. This year, No Name-Calling Week will take place the week of January 21-25, 2008. The project seeks to focus national attention on the problem of name-calling in schools, and to provide students and educators with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate name-calling in their communities.

COMMUNITIES & RESOURCES

The project is targeted at grades five through eight—years when the problem of name-calling is particularly acute but the concept can be easily adapted by students and educators at other grade levels. The project includes a resource guide which includes an overview of the campaign, instructions for organizing and publicizing No Name-Calling Week in individual schools, lesson plans and other curricular material, and further resources for those interested in extending the experience. The project also includes a 27-minute video about name-calling targeting grades 5-8. The video is accompanied by a Teacher Resource Book that includes teaching ideas and fact sheets. In addition to the resource materials and video, stickers and posters are available to support the program.

.: No Name-Calling Week :.

Hankering for more Hilary Duff & GLSEN: The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network? >>
Hilary Duff & Wanda Sykes Anti-Anti Gay Language PSA for GLSEN
GLSEN: The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
National Day of Silence Brings Attention to Anti-LGBT Name-Calling, Bullying and Harassment in Schools
ThinkB4YouSpeak
Ally Week: Straights Committed to End Bias & Discrimination Against LGBT People
Gay-Straight Ally Week October 13-17, 2008