Omaha leaders are putting a focus on kindness for the upcoming year starting with a metro-wide proclamation and signing of a resolution making Friday, August 24th #BeKind Day. Friday morning, Metro mayors, police and fire leadership, school superintendents, higher education leadership and student leaders all came together at UNO to make the resolution official.
#BeKind is a way to empower young people to make good choices in their own unique way and to help students make positive personal connections in an increasingly digitally dominated world. The discussion began with the Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium, a consortium of the leadership of area school districts, community colleges and the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Millard Superintendent Dr. Jim Sutfin describes the movement in these words. “#BeKind is about meeting kids where they are and giving them positive replacement behaviors that are beneficial to both them and their community. So often we tell young people no. This is about telling them yes.”
The #BeKind campaign has worked closely with Ralston Superintendent Mark Adler and his wife Joni, who were already on a similar mission with their personal family story of their son, Reid Adler. Reid committed suicide in 2016 after experiencing online bullying.