In Friendship Circle's LifeTown area, volunteers model Defeat the Label apparel: Blair Bean,
Jenna Krinsky, Omer Oppenheim and Michael Simons.
empower them to be proactive in bullying
situations. A different topic is covered each
month from September through April:
courage, responsibility, judgment, diversity,
bullying, bystander, action and advocating.
Group exercises help students experience
the consequences of labeling in a way that
is hands-on and personal. During the pilot
program, each student chose an article of
clothing suggesting a type of student who
might be bullied. After donning the cloth-
ing, they received a label from the other
students in the group.
"I just threw on a jacket, and peo-
ple labeled me weird': said Lindsay
Rosenbaum, who helped bring the program
to Andover, along with her friend and fellow
Friendship Circle volunteer Allana Sucher. "I
never knew a jacket could make such a dif-
ference — it really got the message across."
Introductory presentations have been
made at other local high schools including
Frankel Jewish Academy, Bloomfield Hills
Lahser, Walled Lake Central, Birmingham
Groves, North Farmington, Walled Lake
Northern and Cranbrook, with the hope
of starting regular programs in the near
future at those institutions as well as in
middle schools.
"Students don't learn in an environ-
ment where they don't feel safe': said Ken
Gutman, superintendent of Walled Lake
Consolidated Schools. "This is a life-chang-
ing initiative — I'm just proud to be a part
of it."
Weekly Missions For Teens
To keep teens involved on a continu-
ing basis, Shemtov introduced weekly
"missions" designed to discourage bul-
lying. They are posted on the Defeat the
Label website (www.defeatthelabel.corn).
Participants report their progress on the
site and on Facebook, and votes are cast
each week for the person who best corn-
pleted each assignment. Winners receive
prizes, such as free clothing items from
www.shopdtl.com , or gift certificates
toward merchandise sold on the website,
which donates part of every sale to the
campaign. Local radio station 95.5-FM
has supported the campaign by announc-
ing the weekly missions during its after-
school show.
Examples of past missions include put-
ting an anonymous complimentary note
in the locker or mailbox of someone who
could use a secret pick-me-up, doing an
extra chore for a sibling or parent, putting
an inspirational note in a public place
such as the lunchroom or hallway, or find-
ing a creative or effective way of sharing
the Defeat the Label message on Facebook
or Twitter.
Local Businessman Opts In
When Jeff Sakwa of West Bloomfield heard
about the concept, he saw the potential for
expansion to the rest of the country and
beyond.
Sakwa, a real estate developer, was
instrumental in starting such campaigns
as "Save our Schools" to augment ailing
educational budgets and "Text the Pledge,'
a program designed to help students make
better choices in their social and academic
lives.
"I'm passionate about education': Sakwa
said. "I believe everybody needs an oppor-
tunity, not a handout."
Along with some friends and fellow
business associates, Sakwa began promot-
ing the campaign, along with a specially
designed line of clothing, through social
networking venues, such as Facebook and
Twitter — and by teen celebrities, such as
Miley Cyrus and Australian musician Cody
Simpson. The singer-songwriter, who fea-
tures the campaign on his website, www.
codysimpson.com, can be seen wearing
Michael Simons and Omer Oppenheim take a break in front of a
LifeTown store.
a Defeat the Label sweatshirt in a recent
music video and a commercial for Vitamin
Water.
"What I've learned is that kids respond
to celebrities:' Sakwa said. "When Cody
`tweeted' about the campaign last week, we
had 2,000 followers within 15 minutes."
The campaign has attracted the atten-
tion of local celebrities as well, such as for-
mer news anchor and health reporter Lila
Lazarus, who has joined the promotional
team, and former Detroit Piston Vinnie
Johnson, who showed his support by
donating a portion of the proceeds raised
at a recent charity golf outing.
Sweatshirts and other apparel with the
Defeat the Label logo have been sold across
the United States and in Australia, Russia,
Spain, Ireland and Bangkok.
Also in the works is a custom brace-
let designed by West Bloomfield jeweler
Steven Tapper. The bracelet, which features
an adjustable braided cord attached to a
decorated steel insert, will sell for approxi-
mately $20, a portion of which will go to
support Defeat the Label.
Sakwa said he is seeking corporate spon-
sors to provide the resources to carry the
message even further.
New Idea, New Foundation
According to Rabbi Levi Shemtov,
Friendship Circle executive director, the
nonprofit will continue to handle the
educational component of the program.
A new organization, Defeat the Label
Foundation, will be established to handle
the promotional events and sales of appar-
el and other licensed merchandise. The
foundation will be headed by a group that
includes Sakwa, other local businesspeo-
ple and some members of the Friendship
Circle board of directors.
"We call Jeff our crazy, amazing friend;'
said Bassie Shemtov."He's someone who
will not stop, and we're very excited to
have him on our team."
Simpson will give a free concert and
announce his support for the Defeat
the Label campaign on the afternoon of
Sunday, Aug. 28, at the Somerset Collection
in Troy. According to Sakwa, the event will
include a fashion show and appearances
by other surprise guest celebrities.
Other future plans include an online
anti-bullying hotline that will allow those
in need to connect with qualified counsel-
ors for assistance and referral to appropri-
ate resources.
Hope For Troubled Teens
The anti-bullying campaign has brought
hope and comfort to victims such as Sarah,
a high school student who described what
happened when her group of girlfriends
suddenly turned against her. Within days,
she was the target of nasty text messages
and insults on her Facebook page. Some of
the name-calling came from students Sarah
didn't even know. It got so bad that she pre-
tended to be sick to avoid going to school.
"My stomach hurts, and I have headaches
every day. The girls are spreading rumors
and telling secrets, and it just doesn't feel
right to me',' she said in a video posted on
YouTube. "Is there something wrong with
me? Or am I really what they say I am?
Could I be a victim of bullying?"
Ironically, Sarah found support from the
same students she and her former friends
used to treat badly. Together they discov-
ered Defeat the Label, which helped Sarah
recover from the bullying and regain her
self-esteem. Many teens are sharing their
stories of heartbreak and hope on venues
such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
"The message should be: It gets bet-
ter; there's always a light at the end of
the tunnel': said teen participant Jenna
Silverstein. Fl
August 11 a 2011
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