June 11, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bailey Lindgren ([email protected])
952-838-9000, National toll-free (888) 248-0822
Inspiring Change: A Bullying Prevention Message from Bethany Mota with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center
MINNEAPOLIS: YouTube superstar Bethany Mota knows firsthand the pain and feeling of isolation of being targeted by bullying. Now Bethany and PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center are teaming up to send a powerful message to young people to be confident in their individuality and know that no one deserves to be bullied on or offline.
Through the “Inspiring Change” speaking tour to middle and high school students, Bethany will share information on how everyone—especially youth—can play a part in making safer, kinder communities and schools. Bethany will help students who are being bullied understand that they are not alone and have the right to be safe, and share ways that students who witness bullying can intervene and be supportive.
“We’re proud to be partnering with Bethany. Bullying is an issue that has personally impacted her and her encouragement of kids and teens to take an active role will have positive impact,” said Paula Goldberg, PACER Center’s executive director. “Her voice is an important, influential catalyst for change and her message of confidence and being OK with who you are is powerful.”
In addition to the “Inspiring Change” speaking tour, Bethany will be working with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center to share resources at PACER.org/bullying for parents, educators, and youth that address and prevent bullying. Students can tell their story at [email protected], start a bullying prevention committee at their school, and find videos, blogs, and a toolkit of ways to address bullying at PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org or PACERKidsAgainstBullying.org. Youth are also invited to join “The WE WILL Generation,” which is a student-led movement uniting young people to own the issue and be a part of the solution.
“It’s important to recognize the negative effects that bullying has on youth, including loss of self-esteem to not wanting to go to school to feeling like you’re all alone,” said Bethany. “PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center is about empowering youth, parents, educators, and communities to take action, be supportive of one another, and show that bullying is not acceptable behavior.”
“Bullying is an issue that has impacted too many for too long,” said Julie Hertzog, director of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. “We are thrilled to partner with Bethany as she is a wonderful role model showing young people that they can overcome bullying.”
If you are interested in Bethany speaking at your school in Fall 2015, please contact [email protected].
About PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center
Founded in 2006, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center actively leads social change so that bullying is no longer considered an accepted childhood rite of passage. PACER provides innovative resources for students, parents, educators, and others, and recognizes bullying as a serious community issue that impacts education, physical and emotional health, and the safety and well-being of students.
About PACER Center
Based in Minnesota, PACER Center is a national parent center serving all youth, with a special emphasis on children with disabilities. Learn more at PACER.org or call 952-838-9000; 888-248-0822 (national toll free).
About Bethany Mota
In only five years, YouTube sensation Bethany Mota has become one of the most recognizable names in the world. Today, Bethany’s YouTube channel has over 8 million subscribers. Bethany’s popularity and entrepreneurship in the digital space has garnered notice from a number of top outlets, including TIME magazine where she was named as one of the most influential teens in 2014. She regularly travels across the globe to mentor and help build other social networks. With no signs of slowing down, Bethany kicked off 2015 with an interview with President Obama after his State of the Union address, which was viewed by millions around the world.
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