STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Creative Coalition and WWE (NYSE:WWE), announced today the launch of “be a STAR,” a multi-platform, nationwide anti-bullying alliance, in conjunction with the National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN), GLAAD, True Educator Inc., Ad Council, Island Def Jam Music Group, Close Up Foundation and others.
The mission of “be a STAR” —which stands for ‘Show Tolerance And Respect’—is to ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation through grassroots efforts beginning with education and awareness. “be a STAR” will promote positive methods of social interaction and encourage people to treat others as equals and with respect because everyone is a star in their own right.
For its first initiative, the alliance will unveil a free anti-bullying curricula created by NEA HIN that will debut at an inaugural event this evening at The Washington Club in Washington, DC. The teacher’s aide aligns with national education standards to complement curriculums, and consists of nine lesson plans that teachers can access at www.beaSTARalliance.org. The lessons will focus on bullying, cyber-bullying, and equality and utilize an interdisciplinary teaching model across Social Studies, Language Arts and Health. The teaching aide complements the new WWE Studios and Samuel Goldwyn Films “That’s What I Am” starring Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, WWE Superstar Randy Orton® and Amy Madigan. The new release is an anti-bullying, coming of age story that was a Centerpiece film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and accepted at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
“Every seven minutes a child is bullied. It’s time to stop that clock. We're proud to be an architect with WWE of ‘be a STAR’. The Creative Coalition's role is to employ the arts as a powerful resource in the "toolbox" to combat the bullying epidemic. We hope to use the unique platforms of the entertainment industry to encourage and reach children across the country to stand up to bullying,” said CEO of The Creative Coalition Robin Bronk.
“WWE is honored and thrilled to partner with The Creative Coalition, the National Education Association Health Information Network and our other partners, in an effort to change the way people interact and treat others,” said Stephanie McMahon, Executive Vice President, Creative Development and Operations, WWE. “Through the joint efforts of the ‘be a STAR Alliance’ organizations, we hope to reach millions encouraging them to stop bullying and ‘be a STAR.’”
“Bullying is unacceptable, but even more important – it is preventable. This film reminds us of what we can accomplish when students and adults stand up to bullying, said Jerry Newberry, NEA HIN’s Executive Director. “We are thrilled to be involved with the ‘be a STAR’ Alliance’s efforts and to work with organizations that share our vision for preventing bullying.”
About “be a STAR”
The mission of “be a STAR” is to ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation through grassroots efforts beginning with education and awareness. “be a STAR”, which stands for ‘Show Tolerance And Respect’, will promote positive methods of social interaction and encourage people to treat others as equals and with respect because everyone is a star in their own right.
In conjunction with the National Education Association Health Information Network, “be a STAR” has created an anti-bullying curriculum that promotes tolerance and respect with the goal to eradicate bullying from our schools and society. Don’t be a bully, be a STAR … Show Tolerance and Respect.
be a STAR was founded by The Creative Coalition and WWE. Member organizations of the “be a STAR” Advisory Council include: Advocates for Human Rights, American Association of School Librarians, American Orthopsychiatric Association, BeCause Foundation, Champions Against Bullying, Council for Unity, Inc., Do Something, Inc., Game Time International, Girl Scouts of the USA, GLAAD, Island Def Jam Music Group, LEADERSHIP 1ST, National Alliance of Youth Sports, National Association of School Resource Officers, National Black Justice Coalition, National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, National Council of Negro Women, National Education Association Health Information Network, National High School Coaches Association, National Puerto Rican Coalition, National Society of High School Scholars, National Voices for Equality, Education, and Enlightenment, Parents for Public Schools, STOMP Out Bullying, The Ad Council, The Matthew Shepard Foundation and The Sikh Coalition.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly, PG content across all of its platforms including television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 500 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
About Creative Coalition
The Creative Coalition (www.TheCreativeCoalition.org) is the premiere nonprofit, nonpartisan social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating, mobilizing, and activating its members on issues of public importance, primarily public education, the First Amendment, and arts advocacy. Actor Tim Daly serves as the organization's President.
The Spotlight Initiative was launched in 2008 by The Creative Coalition to support independent films with messages that make a difference in the world.
About National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN)
As the non-profit health affiliate of the NEA, the NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN) provides health and safety information to the 3.2 million educational employees and students it serves. NEA HIN distributes information nationally through NEA's 51 state/territory affiliates as well as 14,000 local education associations. For more information, please visit www.neahin.org
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