When Spiderman/Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben paraphrased Voltaire saying, “With great power come great responsibility,” he probably wasn’t referring to smartphones in the hands of high school students. But, as technology continues to find its way into the hands of children and young people, addressing techno-bullying becomes increasingly harder.

Thus, I say ‘Kudos!’ to the folks at Yik Yak:
“The founders of an up-and-coming anonymous messaging app called Yik Yak, that began to take off among the middle school and high school crowd where it has been linked to both bullying and threats, have taken the unprecedented step of actually blocking younger users from accessing its application while on school grounds.”

But while this is a valuable step, it’s only a small step towards greater inclusion, and the undoing of the underlying culture of bullying that is the painful reality for so many young people.

Click here to read the full Yik Yak article, and click here to learn more about Adventure In Adventure Out’s You Belong, “a bold and transformative program that engages students and teachers in the creation of a physically and emotionally safe environment where courageous action is encouraged, and the true expression of each person is welcomed and celebrated.”

This video has been circulating on the web for a little while now, but it is so very relevant to the experience we are creating with our “You Belong” program. It is the many feelings, struggles, hopes and doubts that can feel so isolating when exploring one’s identity. Yet, these very ingredients also create the recipe for belonging. The reason they can make us feel so alone is because we assume that no one else could ever feel this way. I must be the only one. And, so we try to keep them hidden, buried just below the surface of what we allow to be seen.

The problem is, if everyone does this, then we end up operating in a world where it seems like those fears, hopes and feelings don’t exist except within ourselves. This is the power and inspiration of vulnerability and compassion. Together, they help us construct a window where people can see into the real us. It is is there that we can realize we are not alone, we are not the only ones – that we can belong! So, how do we live lives where we can create that window? By doing exactly what Shane is doing here – stepping out with courage and sharing what is real!