Find your voice. Build your resilience. Be part of the solution.
5 Key Things Make Act Like You Matter’s Anti-Bullying Workshops and Assemblies Unlike any Other Program Available:
Custom Designed
To be most relevant to your unique student body & address the relationship issues happening at your school. We also mention names of trusted adults on your campus who students can turn to for help and describe how to report incidents of bullying.
Age Appropriate
Scenarios reflect bullying behaviors and language that are common among middle school and high school students. We hold students’ attention by communicating just like they do with their peers.
Solution Driven
Every scenario we perform shows at least one person making the decision to do something about what’s happening. We demonstrate a wide range of strategies, so that each student might be able to find some tools they would feel comfortable trying.
Run by Students for Students
Programs are delivered by students the same age or slightly older than yours. We awaken your students to how their words and actions impact each other. Your students see that we “get it,” can relate to what they’re experiencing, and want to share solutions.
Packed with tools & strategies students can use immediately to overcome & combat bullying and build their resilience
What makes our programs truly unique is that they are run entirely by students ages 12-19 from Theatre of Peace: Youth Anti-Bullying Actors & Empowerment Advocates (“TOP”) – a division of Act Like You Matter. We believe that children are more likely to learn from anti-bullying programs that are delivered by students, as opposed to adults. They have “street cred” that adults just don’t have! When TOP performs, your students will feel as if they stumbled upon a situation unfolding in real time and involving their peers. The experience is intimate, impactful, and empowering.
This program is offered as either a smaller group Workshop or larger group Assembly.
NOTE: If you’re located more than a 3 hour drive from San Diego, please click this link to learn about our virtual programs. Virtual programs follow the Assembly structure (scroll down for details).
Each Workshop Runs About 1 Hour and Consists of 2 Parts:
(1) Performance
(2) Activities, Q&A, Discussion
Part 1: Performance
TOP will perform several vignettes depicting bullying behaviors that are common among middle school and high school students. The scenes, which you select ahead of time from our original script What If It Was You? Solution-Driven Bullying Scenarios for Middle & High School Students, include these and many other types of bullying behaviors:
Other Scenarios Include:
Clique behavior
Peer pressure
Exclusion
Dominance
The “bully’s” perspective
Eating disorder pressure
Emotionally abusive parent
Intimidation
Sexual harassment
Isolation
Plus: Scenarios to Help Neurotypical Students Better Understand Neurodiverse Students:
“Information Overload”: Watch a student on the spectrum zone out (and, therefore, seem “weird”) when everyone is talking excitedly and all at once about different things
“My Brain Won’t Shut Up!” Experience the noise inside the brain of someone with ADHD to understand why they might not be able to focus
“Personal Space”: A student on the spectrum misses the non-verbal cues another student is giving and explains why subtle gestures can be tough to process
Our programs go far beyond merely raising awareness about various types of bullying behavior. Each scenario shows someone making the decision to do something about what’s happening, demonstrating a wide variety of strategies that your students can use to stand up for themselves and others during bullying or any other mean or rude behaviors.
Your students will see SEL skills in action on stage and many positive behaviors demonstrated including:
Bystanders empathizing with the target and validating them as worthwhile – either during the bullying encounter or later
Targets standing up for themselves and demonstrating resilience
Students encouraging others to get an adult involved and report what’s happening
Students taking responsibility for the role they played in bullying and reaching out to apologize to the people they harmed
Part 2: Community-Building Activities, Q&A, Discussion
We’ll stop performing to talk to you peer to peer through activities and Q&A. First, small group community-building activities break the ice and help student see how much they have in common. NOTE: Community-building activities are available with the Workshop structure but not with the Assembly structure; all virtual programs follow the Assembly structure.
Then, we come back together as a group to answer questions from the students in the audience. This gives these peers a chance to learn from each other and discuss what they’ve tried and what really works. Helps students to see they are not alone in what they’re experiencing: there are solutions and you have more power than you think. Options are available for submitting anonymously.
Sharing Ideas About What We’ve Tried & What’s Worked
Answering: Have you ever been bullied?
Customization & Lead Time
How Customization Works
Once you hire us, you’ll receive a summary of age-appropriate vignettes from our original script What If It Was You? Solution-Driven Bullying Scenarios for Middle & High School Students and we’ll work together to select the scenarios that are most relevant to your students. Then, we’ll further customize our language to include names of trusted adults on campus and your school’s bullying reporting procedure to remind students of the resources available to them. Our goal: for your students to feel as if they are watching their classmates when we perform.
CURRENTLY BOOKING for the 2023-24 School Year!
We book at least 6 weeks out for on campus performances (San Diego County) and at least 8 weeks out for live streamed performances (Everywhere). This gives us time to get to know your school’s needs, so we can build a customized program that’s most relevant to your unique student body.
Each of us plays a role in bullying behavior.
YOU can make a difference. We can show you how.
Would You Like a Price Quote for Our Anti-Bullying Empowerment Programs for Middle & High Schools?
Click Here to Request a Price Quote for a Live Program at Your School Campus
(San Diego County & easily drivable from San Diego only)
Click Here to Request a Price Quote for a Live Virtual Program
(Any location!)