Amy Jones Anichini created Act Like You Matter to promote the well-being of children, tweens, and teens so that each child feels accepted and free to be themselves without being bullied.

I created Act Like You Matter for you, me, and the next generation of adults: to empower them to find their voice and impact their world in a positive way. Each of us has the capacity to show kindness to others, to empathize with them, and to validate them as worthwhile, but many of us could use some reminders about how to do those things and why they’re so important. Because bullying is a cycle, it’s easy to play the role we’re handed: the target who feels defeated; the bystander who turns away or is afraid to intervene; the follower who watches their friends bully others and either joins in or does nothing; the aggressor who starts the bullying. Nevertheless, no matter what role we play in the cycle of bullying, each of us can choose to behave in a different way that will curb – and maybe one day eradicate – bullying.

Act Like You Matter provides the tools that can help each of us be part of the solution.

A Little History

The seeds for Act Like You Matter were planted in the fall of 2010, when my husband and I discovered that our youngest daughter, Chase, was being bullied by several children in her 2nd grade class. Desperate to understand what was happening to our daughter, I plunged myself into bullying research,  books on bullying (both non-fiction and children’s fiction), and any other resource I could get my hands on. To make a very long story short, we worked with Chase to re-build her confidence and helped her develop a 3-step strategy for how to deal with kids who treated her poorly.

In 2013, Chase and I co-authored Baffle That Bully! to empower young children who are targets of bullying and to help families whose lives are impacted by bullying behavior. We wrote the book because she wanted to help other kids; words can’t describe how much that inspired me! After the book was published, I dedicated myself to working with non-profits that serve children and raise awareness about bullying prevention and intervention. In 2015, I founded Act Like You Matter and recruited a group of outstanding young people to join me in creating and delivering content that would help our youth change the way they treat each other.

Today: In-Person & Virtual Programs for K-12th; Video of K-3rd Program; Coaching for Kids, Teens, Families; Consulting for Schools

Before the pandemic derailed our ability to work with students live at schools, we were fortunate enough to have worked with 11,000+ students and nearly 700 teachers at K-12 schools in San Diego County and Los Angeles County. We’re thrilled to report that in late Jan. 2023, we returned in person to a school for the first time post-pandemic!

Over the years, we’ve expanded to provide multiple services and programs for schools and community organizations as well as services for individuals and families.

Services for Kids, Teens, and Families:

• Bullying Resilience Coaching for Kids, Teens, and Families, helping:
  1. Students build their resilience and self-esteem, so that they deflect, rather than internalize, the negativity of others
  2. Their parents, guardians, and trusted adults to help and support them
• Healthy, empowering presence on social media channels where we strive to make sure that no one feels alone in what they’re experiencing and share strategies that have worked in managing various negative encounters.
• Public Discord Community where tweens and teens can share their experiences and learn from each other about all topics related to growing up, being true to yourself, and overcoming challenges related to all of that.
• Coming Fall 2024: FREE Back to School Live-Stream program for Older Elementary. Students, parents, educators, and other professionals working with this age group can attend via a private page here on our website. Click here to join the interest list and get updates about the date and time. Click here to learn more about our program for older elementary.

Update on the Little Book of Empowerment That Started It All:

Oh, and that book that Chase and wrote has been adapted into an empowering stage play Baffle Away Bullying! Interactive Stage Play for K-3rd. It’s been our most popular program ever since it debuted in early 2018. It’s also our first program that’s available to rent by anyone, anywhere, anytime!

Real Change Will Only Come from Them

Through many years of parenting and working alongside children, tweens, and teens, I’ve come to believe in the power of young people. They have immense capacity to reach each other and connect in ways that adults just can’t. By sharing their experiences and what’s worked for them, they can support each other, make sure no one feels alone in what they’re experiencing, and help bring about positive changes. Real change in the way young people treat each other will only happen if it starts with them, and that’s what Act Like You Matter is all about.

All the best,

Amy