Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky Anti-Bullying Campaign Needs Your Help
A few weeks ago I introduced you to Ryan Courtade, founder of a non-profit, all-volunteer organization called Northern Kentucky Youth Foundation. It is a resource and partner for educators and organizations committed to the success of young people; and the Foundation is a strong advocate for youth in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties with programs that now include bullying prevention.
And Ryan needs your help. He is in the process of developing an anti-bullying campaign to launch in the fall with a focus on empowering the bystanders. It will use various media to relay information including a video, printed materials and 
the internet. Ryan wants to engage youth rather than using only school-wide assemblies and other traditional methods.
Do you have some time and resources to give to help? Any businesses, agencies or community members interested in assisting with the anti-bullying efforts should call him at 859-795-1506 or visit www.nkyyouth.org for more information.
Character Council Laying The Foundation For Community Success
Character…it starts with me.
That’s the tag line for a Cincinnati nonprofit, the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, that is all about building positivity among children and adults in schools, religious congregations, businesses, families, and communities.
Building and strengthening character traits… what a great reason for an organization to exist!
Last year alone, more than 371,000 people were impacted with its message of good character. Among its strategies: the Council has trained and provided educational materials to more than 1000 Cincinnati police officers, employees of more than 60 local businesses, and more than 1200 local educators on promoting positive values; and offers presentations and information to the 
general community on good character.
Signing up as a ‘Businesses of Character’ means your company agrees to follow a four-step process to consciously create a culture in which good character is valued, promoted, taught, expected, and rewarded so that it becomes a platform for achieving company goals.
Westwood School is a ‘School of Character.
In 2009 staff of this Cincinnati Public School came to the Council when their students were showing a lack of respect for authority and brought anger into the classroom. At the time only 20% of parents were engaged in their children’s school activities.
Great for the community that educators wanted to be proactive. Westwood School became a ‘School of Character’ and worked with the Council in launching a comprehensive plan that promoted good character, addressed the root causes of behavior issues, and gave staff the tools they needed to succeed. Within its first year, teachers were already reporting less fighting and disciplinary referrals to the principal’s office declined 24%.
The organization is about to adopt its fourth CPS school and this summer it rolled out character education programs in ALL 26 Cincinnati Recreation Centers collectively serving about 2500 kids.
Flexibility: a willingness to change plans or ideas without getting upset.
If you are on Council’s email list or visit its website, you’ll be familiar with this trait. The word is the August ‘trait of the month’ and the organization offers ‘I will’ statement suggestions for putting those traits into motion. It is just one of the tools the Council offers to support community efforts to build positive energy.
And I’m all for positive energy!
To learn more about the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, please click here to visit their website.
