In March in 2015, Maya Haynes' daughter Caitlyn completed suicide because of bullying. After her death, Cait's peers came forward and told Maya and her husband that they had witnessed the bullying and did not know what to do. Many had reported the bullying incidents, but there was no action taken.
Instead of becoming angry, bitter, and vengeful, Maya turned grief, pain, and loss into a direction of helping other kids who are being bullied, those witnessing the situations, as well as those who are doing the bullying. She created P.E.E.R. Kindness, an organization developed to help kids, parents and educators learn more about bullying vs. conflict management. The acronym stands for positive, encouraging, empathetic and respectful. By providing these tools to all involved (including those kids who are witnesses to this behavior), it is hoped that we can curtail the incidences of kids mistreating each other.
The group started out with a small board meeting in a local coffee shop. Now, nine years later, P.E.E.R. Kindness has their own building, is in four states and serves as a resource for anyone who needs help in navigating the world of bullying, whether is a student, parent and/or educator. Being a small organization, they are unable to reach all who may need these services. So, Maya and her team have created a tool called, PK (P.E.E.R. Kindness) in a box. They send this out to folks who ask for help where they may not have access to this in their city, state, or geographical area.
Maya says that her healing process has been helped by hearing the stories of others. And this work of helping others heal has helped her move forward too. She says that feeling like we are not alone is important to moving through the loss and hard work of grief.
Being a small organization, Maya and her team have created a tool called, PK (P.e.e.r. Kindness) in a box. They send this out to people asking for help where they may not have access to this in their city, state or geographical area.
To learn more about P.E.E.R. Kindness, how to contact them and get resources, go to https://www.peerkindness.net
The website for Stephen Ray Watts and the band Dotsero https://dotseroband.com
The website to connect with Laura Padgett https://lauralpadgett.com
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