Schools

Documentary Spotlights Bullying

Gig Harbor Film Festival kicked off with a free screening of "Finding Kind," which explores bullying among girls and women in the country.

Bullying: In reality, we've all experienced it at some point in our lives at school, work or in the community.

On Wednesday night, more than 300 tweens, teens and parents gathered at as the kicked off its with a free screening of Finding Kind. The documentary focuses on the complex relationships among girls and women in today's society.

Click here to view the Film Festival Guide.

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After graduating from Pepperdine University, filmmakers Lauren Parsekian and Molly Stroud drove across the country in their minivan to spread an anti-bullying message to local schools and communities, and to find out how bullying has impacted girls' lives and their friendships with others.

Parsekian and Stroud, who both experienced bullying in school, are on their third journey with their "Kind Campaign." They said were inspired by their traumatic experiences and wanted to shed light on stories that "needed to be told."

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"Every single person that we encountered related to this issue in some way," Stroud said. "The bigger message is--universally males and females--to be kinder to one another and accepting of one another."

"This is really powerful," said Superintendent Terry Bouck, who participated in the panel discussion led by the founder of ParenTeen and HURT Seminars, Chap Clark. "One of the challenges that we all have is that when we leave here, we want to remember what we saw tonight. When you choose your words, you want to be kind but always reflect on how it impacts others …. When you see bullying, you need to let people know."

As part of their mission, Parsekian and Stroud will be traveling around the country to visit schools and spread awareness.

"We've gone into elementary schools and gone into classrooms with second- and third-graders and heard stories that we would expect in middle schools or high schools. It's really heartbreaking to see how young it's starting," Parsekian said.

In recent years, physical and cyber attacks among kids have been a hot topic.

The film also takes adults back to their teenage years and reflects on their behaviors and actions.

"I go back to when I was in school and it makes me think about some things that I would like to redact some comments I might have made," Bouck said.

From personal experiences, Parsekian and Stroud encouraged anyone who is experiencing bullying to speak with a parent, teacher or community leader.

Due to the overwhelming turnout on Wednesday, the Gig Harbor Film Festival plans to host another screening this weekend. We'll post more information once it becomes available.

In keeping with the theme of being kind, how did your experiences from adolescent years impact your life today.

Do you know if your kids are involved in bullying at school? How do you help them resolve the issue?


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