Bullying Intervention Through Compassion

Caring and Courageous Kids ~ A Legacy

This page offers a review and resources for parents and teachers from my earlier years with Caring and Courageous Kids (CCKids) (2009 – 2017) – bullying intervention programs I created while teaching in the public school system. Although I am no longer actively offering bullying intervention programs, I am grateful to know of its lasting legacy for so many children, parents, and teachers, along with resources that continue to be available:

- - Peace Project Youtube Videos
  - Pledge: My Peace Promise [by Dee DiGioia]
  - Movie: “Which Team Will You Choose?” [written, directed, produced by Dee DiGioia]
  - Guidebook: “One Caring and Courageous Choice at a Time” [by Dee DiGioia]
  - Song: “Peace for You and Me” [lyrics by Dee DiGioia, music arrangement by Grant Bently]
  - Mindful Explorers program (developed when Mindful Kindful YOUniversity evolved)

NOTE: The website Caring and Courageous Kids is no longer available.

FREE guidebook & DVD (while supplies last) ~ Scroll down the page!

The Mission

The mission of Caring and Courageous Kids was to educate the hearts and minds of young children, and the important adults in their world, to inspire a culture of compassionate thinkers who have the courage to break the cycle of bullying, abuse, and violence, with choices which will contribute to a more compassionate and peaceful world beginning in our homes, schools, and communities.

The Spark

As a speech-language therapist I saw too many of my special needs students being negatively impacted as targets of bullying, and too many students joining in or standing by not knowing what to do in the elementary school where I taught. Unfortunately, too many adults were not effectively responding.

Many times my students would come in from recess terrified or crying because someone was bullying them. When I asked if they told a teacher they would always respond with “She just told me to go play!” If I’m being honest, at that same time I was dealing with “bullying” in my personal life (harassment from an ex-husband) and after trying to get a restraining order against him, which was denied, I decided I didn’t want my students to ever feel like I did in court that day. I just wanted help from someone who I thought would help me. That was the spark for Caring and Courageous Kids to come into being.

Over time the CCKids mission began to include, not just my students with special needs, but for all children and adults to help everyone understand that there are things within our control to help break the cycle of bullying and to feel safer and happier in our schools and homes.

I had a dream that one by one, family by family, classroom by classroom people would become inspired to stand up to bullying, while contributing to a more compassionate culture, one caring and courageous choice at a time. I began by reading stories in the classrooms, then creating “After School Peace Project” where we created Peace Project vignettes to record for school assemblies, and a recess “safe place” for children opting out of going on the playground. Eventually I brought programs to other schools as well.

Picture gifted to me by a student ~ where I was known as “The Peace Lady”. This child wrote this message: “Stand up and always be nice. I like my friends to have full buckets.”

THE LEGACY

It was evident that Caring and Courageous Kids made a great impact during the time I was implementing programs. With each classroom visit, with each project, the lines outside my classroom grew longer each day for children coming before school or during recess for help with their problems or to say hello or to give a hug; children dropping off pictures they made for me on peace or love and letters of thank you or letters on standing up to bullying; children asking to come to my room to hang out at recess; emails and chats from parents; parents asking for help; teachers asking for help.

Students choosing the “peace room” over going out to recess. Books and coloring were available.

Student messages to me:

“I want to stop bullying because of the video you showed us the other day.”

“Hey Peace Lady, I remember that play you did last year!”

“You are the reason there is peace.”

“Peace feels good.”

Though I eventually left that school and chapter behind, the CCKids mission certainly didn’t end there. I wrote a full companion guidebook, One Caring and Courageous Choice at a Time, to accompany the movie I’d just produced, Which Team Will You Choose?, and began promoting both to schools. I had the opportunity to share this work at three national conferences and through webinars, reaching parents and educators well beyond those earlier years at Mammoth Elementary School. The program found new life in an inner-city charter school in Sacramento where I worked, and in a middle school in Folsom—where students created their own new round of Peace Project videos. What started in one school kept finding its way into new communities who needed it.

Dee DiGioia presenting at an Autism Conference in Pasadena, CA on Bullying

These were some of the most meaningful years in my career – personally and professionally! This journey gave me more than a program I’m proud of. It gave me lessons in finding my own voice — and in healing, both from that chapter and from wounds carried long before it. If any part of my story resonates with
you, I hope it’s a reminder that healing and courage can move together, one caring and courageous choice at a time.

Peace Project – Youtube Videos

For our after-school Peace Project Program we created videos to share at our school assemblies and talent shows – vignettes with students acting out parts and singing songs to help inspire the school culture.

The videos are all listed here on my old channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeeDiGioia4CCKids

Mammoth Elementary School ~ “Peace Project”

This video below is one example of videos we created from Peace Project for our “Caring and Courageous Kids” assembly (in 2011). It is an adaptation from the book “The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others” by Bob Sornson and Maria Dismondy. This was made from the hearts of these caring and courageous students to tell a story to the rest of our school and to anyone else who wants to be inspired. I was the teacher/director/editor with a camera and a bunch of big-hearted students in an after-school club wanting to participate in peace-promoting activities!

Sutter Middle School, Folsom, CA ~ “Circles of Compassion” Program:

This is a year-end video project (below) to help inspire others to become more compassion-fit to help stop bullying and to demonstrate standing up to bullying to help break the cycle using our principles of #flipit and getting #compassionfit! This group came up with their own story and choreography to demonstrate how to “flip it” from a negative situation to something positive. It’s more than raising awareness of the bullying problem. We find solutions and practice them daily! We will use scenarios like these to spark discussions on how to stand up to bullying and contribute to more kindness in our world beginning with our world at home and school! The theme was “courage”. It’s not easy to stand up but it’s the right thing to do. Be a leader. Stand up, step in. Help change the culture of bullying to a culture of caring. Make that promise. Teens face many pressures and challenges in life with much of it learning how to navigate relationships with others in school, including relationships which become clouded with bullying and peer abuse. Despite the prevalence of bullying, there are many people who are good, compassionate, and nonviolent at heart. The focus of “Circles of Compassion” social-emotional learning and bullying prevention program was to inspire teen leaders to help cultivate and practice more compassion in their day to day experiences and practices with their peers to experience more happiness and peace in relationships and in life.

ST HOPE PS7 Elementary School:

Our “Circles” program at PS7 was learning about mindfulness and the brain (emotional regulation). This project (below) was presented by some of our 5th grade students for the purpose of teaching the rest of the school (Kinder- 5th grade) how to use mindfulness and deep, calming breaths to help calm themselves when feeling upset, frustrated, or stressed out for any number of reasons (including bullying). We are using simple movements and sign language to help teach the message and now the students are singing and signing along!! It’s beautiful! The project exemplified our 5th Pillar for the District: “The Power to Lead” where the measure of a person’s success is in what he or she gives to others. Through the Legacy Project students will deepen and demonstrate their learning, and will be empowered as leaders, impacting the community with their ideas for making the world a little kinder, a little safer, and a little more peaceful!

For more videos go to https://www.youtube.com/c/DeeDiGioia4CCKids

My Peace Promise Pledge

“My Peace Promise” is our Caring and Courageous Kids pledge that I wrote and asked students to make the pledge!

This video below is performed by “Peace Project” for our Caring and Courageous Kids assembly at our elementary school (2011). We hope YOU will make the Peace Promise, too!

We had students draw pictures about the different themes, put the pictures on a banner, and students signed the banners which hung in the hallways.

Song, Peace for You and Me

“Peace for You and Me” ~ Original Recording by Dee DiGioia

This is the original version of the song (below) which was professionally recorded by Victor Frankel.

- - Words by Dee DiGioia
  - Melody in collaboration with Grant Bentley
  - Voices – Peace Project students and Dee DiGioia

“Peace for You and Me” ~ Music Video by Dee DiGioia

This children’s anti-bullying music video (below) was performed by “Peace Project” for our “Caring and Courageous Kids” assembly at our elementary school (2011). The lyrics to “Peace for You and Me” offer a “formula” to show how our actions “add up” to help break the cycle of bullying! Standing by and not approving of bullying is not enough to make it go away. We need to show we care by mustering the courage to stand up by saying something, or doing something, with peace in our heart. When we stand up one by one and stand together to show our disapproval of bullying, we show those who bully that we will no longer accept it. The song is upbeat and joyful, and the perfect song to get stuck in the hearts and minds of children to add a little more peace in our world!!! [We are not professional actors or filmmakers!] This was made from the hearts of these caring and courageous students to tell a story to the rest of our school and to anyone else who wants to be inspired. The song is also featured in my movie I created for elementary children called “Which Team Will You Choose?” – — an original professionally filmed 45 minute movie for elementary school children. It’s a fun and educational story which inspires children (and their grown-ups) to discover the power within each one of us to help stop “bucket-dipping” and bullying by becoming more caring, courageous, and compassionate. Become a Champion of Bucket-filling!

Movie, Which Team Will You Choose?

In 2012, I wrote, directed, and produced Which Team Will You Choose? – a children’s educational movie, with the help of volunteers from the community to act in it, including students from my school, and intended to use at our school’s assembly and for my after-school “Peace Project”. It is also intended for elementary school-aged children to watch with their teachers in the classroom or with their parents at home. This is a fun and educational story on a serious topic, giving us a window to see what it’s like to be bullied, but more importantly, it opens the door to look within our hearts and minds to consider the choices we are making in our everyday relationships with others.

This 45-minute movie integrates the “bucket-filling” concept into the story to teach about becoming more mindful of our choices to promote peaceful, positive relationships with others. Being a bucket-filler means we are saying or doing things which help others feel good and feel happy and fills their bucket (heart) with good thoughts and feelings, whereas bucket-dipping is saying or doing something which dips into our bucket (heart) and takes away those good feelings causing sadness, confusion, hurt, or anger. Someone who stands up to bullying is a bucket-filler!

scene from “Which Team Will You Choose?”

The story is about some typical elementary school students who are experiencing the detrimental effects of bucket-dipping and bullying within their own friendship circle in their school. When a teacher leaves the classroom, Tina has an opportunity to bully her friend Kiara, and it’s probably not the first time. The other children are powerless to stop her, or are they? Along comes a Coach to help them learn how to “exercise their brains” and become “Champions” in their relationships with one another. He introduces “BF”, the Bucket-filling team leader, and “Dip”, the Bucket-dipping team leader who seem to get in our brains and they both try to get us on their team! BF encourages the children to “be smart, use your heart!” to help them practice using a caring and courageous heart in making choices when confronted with bullying in their friendship circles. Coach and BF help the children understand that everything people do or say is by choice, and can either add to the problem of bullying, or help the problem go away. According to the scoreboard, their choices quickly added up and contributed to the bullying problem, putting them on the team they never dreamed they would be on – “Dip’s” team.

Is it hopeless to think they can change and be on BF’s team? How will they ever remember what to do? Is it too late to “flip the dip?” You, too, can discover that “it’s cool to care” to help your homes, schools, and communities become a happier and more peaceful place to be! Throughout the ages all cultures have used storytelling to instill moral values and to pass on wisdom and knowledge for future generations. This is one more story made with lots of love.

Trailer to “Which Team Will You Choose?”

WATCH NOW: “Which Team Will You Choose?”

Watch the feature length video below or on Vimeo (~49 min)

Created with love, by Dee DiGioia

“Dee DiGioia’s video on bullying is so powerful! The impact the video will make across young children and adults is immeasurable. It is so simple yet utterly crucial to become knowledgeable about the effects of bullying and gain insight on ways you can prevent it!” ~Jaime Enscoe, parent

“My younger brother and I used to fight sometimes and provoke each other by dipping into each other’s bucket, and dipping back. My mom introduced us to the movie and we watched it together as a family. My brother and I have not had a fight since. Watching the movie helped us learn to fill each other’s buckets and now we try to fill each other’s bucket each day. It helped me a lot in my relationship with my brother because it taught me how to be a BF bucket filler and not be a bucket dipper. When I bucket fill, it makes me feel wonderful inside. I used to fill other people’s buckets easily but not my brothers. Now I understand to have a happy relationship I can bucket fill to make relationships better and keep them great! I like making jokes. The movie also helped me realize that to help a situation that could be negative, I can use my humor to make it more positive. Bucket filling has helped my whole family and I am very happy that I got to watch the movie. It makes my whole family happy and it makes me happy too! When I grow up, I’m going to have my own children watch it so they can understand it and they will know how to fill each other’s buckets. Thank you very much Ms. Dee. You’ve helped me so much.” ~Damien Dormoy, age 11

Guidebook: One Caring and Courageous Choice at a Time

The Guidebook, One Caring and Courageous Choice at a Time, is a supplement to the movie,“Which Team Will You Choose?” (the dvd is included with the book, or you can view the recording above, or access the vimeo link). It is an invaluable resource for parents, grand-parents, day-care providers, teachers, administrators, counselors, coaches, scout leaders, and so many other adults who work with children and recognize the value in having regular discussions to help children develop life-skills which will help them feel emotionally and physically safe in their relationships with others. Regular follow-up discussions and practicing the skills through role playing are critical to helping children learn skills best!

It is suggested that the 45-minute movie first be played in entirety and watched together (parent with child, teacher with students, etc.), and then followed up with daily or weekly discussion times (a scene at a time can be reviewed if needed as each scene is only a few minutes long). The guidebook offers discussion questions (or written assignments) and role playing suggestions following each scene in the movie, as well as activities and projects to keep the doors of communication open and on-going to help awaken the hearts and minds of elementary school children and help empower them in knowing what to say or what to do when confronted with bullying. It provides explanations for the concepts within each scene such as emotional intelligence, affirmations, teasing, reporting, guided visualizations, and original concepts such as “be smart, use your heart” and “flip the dip.” The guidebook includes additional resources for children and adults. Learn the lyrics to the original song “Peace for You and Me”, learn about “My Peace Promise”, and create a “Champion’s Challenge” that would be appropriate for your home, school, or youth group.

It’s not just about changing children. It’s about changing the mindset of a culture. It begins within.

“One Caring and Courageous Choice at a Time” is a must buy program for any school, church, residential treatment program or organization that works with children. This book is the “teacher’s edition” for the film, “Which Team Will You Choose?” (included with the book) which was produced, written and directed by Ms. DiGioia. “Which Team Will You Choose?” demonstrates what it takes to Flip the Dip which means to go from bullying (Bucket Dipping) to true friendship (Bucket Filling). The direction is crisp, the script is clear, the acting is wonderful and the kids are adorable. I was moved to tears of compassion on more than one occasion. This film needs to be shown in every school in North America and beyond. It is truly a program that moves kids from being Bucket Dippers to being Bucket Fillers and Hurray for that. I would to love to see a couple of sequels for Middle School and High School aged students.” ~Ray Erickson – Author of Ten Tips to Tame Your Teen, Strategies That Work!

“As a parent to a child with autism that got bullied relentlessly, I am giving you a standing ovation with tears running down my face. Do you understand the amazing guidebook and movie you created? And the difference you are making in the world? Which Team Will You Choose movie and guidebook make it so easy for teachers to incorporate into a lesson plan – I can speak from experience because I taught elementary school for 11 years. The guidebook is full of inspirational quotes, questions to go with each chapter of the movie, resourceful books recommended at the end, and beautiful artwork from the Peace Project – AMAZING!!! My hat is off to you, congratulations!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge, experience, and talent with the rest of us!!! This was definitely a labor of love!!!” ~Lori Ciccarelli

Dee DiGioia and “Coach” from “Which Team Will You Choose?” for a special class visit at PS7 in Sacramento, CA.

FREE COPY OF BOOK & DVD WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

The dvd (or vimeo link) and guidebook is a great complement to any existing bullying prevention program in schools, or a spark to get one going. And it’s a great way for families to practice skills together to become “Champions of Bucket-filling” – growing kindness and compassion together! Mindful ~ Kindful ~ Peaceful!

Free for local pickup only – San Luis Obispo County. Contact Dee DiGioia for arrangements.

If you need it sent to you, please plan to pay for shipping.

And on and on we go!

As I continued to study bullying intervention and trauma over the years, I trained and was certified in mindfulness and meditation practices, including the Mindful Schools yearlong program. After moving from Sacramento to the Central Coast of California (San Luis Obispo County) where I now live, I decided to evolve the CCKids programs into Mindful Kindful YOUniversity in 2017. I believe mindfulness is the missing piece, and peace, in bullying awareness and in education overall – with compassion at its root.

Whether a child is the victim of bullying, standing by, or standing up to bullying, or whether the child is the one doing the bullying, mindfulness helps children develop the essential life skills for self awareness and regulation, social awareness and relationship skills, and responsible decision-making and leadership skills – growing healthy habits of heart and mind: Mindful, Kindful, Peaceful.

Here I created in-school programs, after-school programs, and eventually a web-based program, Mindful Explorers that teachers and parents could use at their own pace and learn along with the children – it included video lessons, guided prompts, and journals for the students! I also taught this program to several schools in San Luis Obispo County up until 2022ish.

Meanwhile, my work and training (and healing) has continued to evolve, and I am currently offering therapeutic wellness experiences for adults (sound, rhythm, and nature connection) so I am no longer actively offering the Mindful Explorers program. However, I will be adding additional resources to this site (or another site) very soon – as my contribution and legacy to a more compassionate world.