Bullying is an issue many school children face. Schools across America are are starting soon and many children are dreading that first day when they have to face the School Bully.
A non-profit based out of Los Angeles is using the powers of Social Media to help stop bullying. In recent years, bullying has been discussed more and more, and one thing remains constant: it is getting worse. The Internet has not helped the fight against bullying. In fact, cyberbullying is getting worse, leaving one in four children in the United States a victim of bullying.
The non-profit, Be More Heroic, is pairing up with Dubbler, a social media site, to let users record 60 second pieces of customized audio called dubs. In these dubs, people can add voice filters, music, and photos. This partnership has created a safe way for victims of bullying to communicate with one another without revealing their identities. The pairing has begun to feature hashtags such as #BeMoreHeroic, #PassItOn, and #SayNoToBullying
A Voice For Everyone
“There's no way a school can individually take care of every child,” Sierra Dowd (co-founder of BeMoreHeroic) said. “With apps like this, we're really able to connect educators, teachers and parents with students to get them talking about what's going on.” Dubbler's motto is “hear my voice,” a mantra Dowd says fits perfectly.
“People can listen and talk back,” said Dubbler CEO Matt Murphy. Others can record and leave audio comments on Dubs. When a young girl recently posted about suicide, “the community jumped on with hundreds and hundreds of dubs reaching out to her,” he said. “Amazing to see the compassion … They wanted her to survive.”
Since the debut of the free app 5 months ago, Dubbler has more than 500,000 users. But the fight against bullying for Be More Heroic does not stop with this app. The non-profit travels around schools across the U.S., from elementary to University level, to put on assemblies and organize public service announcements.
For a better understanding of Be More Heroic, check out this trailer:
This is a truly admirable way to use social media, and I think I speak for everyone when I say we can only hope that positive actions such as these continue as Social Media incorporates itself into every type of business.
