High school junior Charles Kolin knows firsthand how devastating bullying can be. It happened to him at his public middle school. When it became more than he could take, he made the first of many proactive decisions about how he would move forward. He transferred to Greens Farms Academy (CT), where he found, he said, an environment that was “welcoming, kind, and refreshing.”
Junior Charles Kolin first brought Unity Day to his school in 2018, hoping to empower his peers with messages of support and kindness. He is now working with legislators to make Unity Day a national day of recognition./Photos courtesy of Greens Farms AcademyHis memories are still painful, but Kolin is now using them as fuel to help other people who are having similar experiences and has made it his mission to share his anti-bullying message. In looking for ways to get involved, he discovered PACER, an organization dedicated to bullying prevention, and its nationwide Unity Day, which is the capstone event of National Bullying Prevention Month in October. In summer 2019, Kolin worked with PACER and met with 23 U.S. senators in Washington, DC, to get support for a bipartisan bill, Unity Day Resolution, which would recognize Unity Day nationwide. The legislation has not yet passed.
Middle schoolers posted signs of gratitude and encouragement throughout the school and participated in inclusive activities during its annual Unity Day celebration.
Kolin, who brought Unity Day to his school in 2018, is looking at the bigger picture. “It would be great if it was a continual thing throughout the year—something that everyone sort of thinks about in the back of their mind and says, ‘This is how I can be a beacon of light in someone else’s life.’ ”
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