Fostering Youth Peacemakers: Bully-Proofing Schools by Building Empathy
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.
Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?
Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?
Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?
Founding Story
Team
soul shoppe
United States, CA, Oakland
Individuals, Businesses, Customers.
San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Monterey, Other.
Soul Shoppe introduces a common language to the whole school, helping students become activists and adults to support them effectively. Beyond providing skills, we bring an experience that allows people to see from another’s perspective, so they care and feel motivated to use what they learn. An example is our “Be An Ally” assembly where students talk about how it feels to need an ally, and practice what to say and do to safely intervene when they see bullying and other hurtful behavior. Our “Peacemaker Program” trains 30 students to become allies and help peers resolve problems on the playground after assemblies are over. Our adult trainings give social emotional how-to’s to help teachers model safe boundaries and train new behaviors.
We always need incredible, youthful, mindful facilitators! People of color strongly encouraged.
We can offer dynamic facilitator training, heart-opening facilitation for big company meetings, corporate empathy trainings!
Current Clients: Over 100 Bay Area Schools/70,000 kids; SF Giants Jr. Giants Summer League. Educational Partners (credibility, reach, message): Alameda Co. Ofc of Ed (cohost annual Bullying Prevention Conf); Ca Inst of Integral Studies (co-developing adult Continuing Education Programs). Professional Partners (financial, tech & social network support): MedHelp (co-developing social/emot awareness app), 6x Project (finance), BB Coaching (mktg).
Reaching more markets is our biggest challenge. We know how to activate empathy in school children when we are physically at an assembly. Reaching beyond that market to parents and adults, as well as remote national and international schools is the challenge. To increase our reach we need additional resources to:
• Digitize and sell what we have learned
• Formalize research on our efficacy
• Implement a University accredited teacher training program
• Roll out a Franchise model
• Complete a series of children’s books
• Hire and train more facilitators
creating a safe space, developing emotional competency, building leadership skills, group play, storytelling, collective problem-solving, identifying shared values and differences, instilling courage, enabling action.
6-12.