i-Kind Event Promotes Acceptance

The Moraga iKind Project offered a screening of the documentary A Brave Heart on February 11 at 7:00pm in the CPAC Theater.

The movie tells the story of Lizzie Velásquez, who suffers from a rare congenital disease which makes it impossible for her to gain weight.

“I think everyone is aware that bullying happens; everyone sees it happening, but no one really does anything about it. So this is proving why we need to do something about bullying and why it’s such a serious issue,” said sophomore Rachel Brickman, who attended the presentation.

“There is a YouTube video that came out about her [Velásquez] that was called ‘Ugliest Woman Ever,’ and the way that she reacted to that was really life changing, because she didn’t take it as ‘Oh my God people think I’m ugly’ or ‘I’m ugly’, but instead she was like ‘Screw you, I’m pretty and if I think I’m pretty that’s all that matters.’ She even thanked the person that made that video, because it changed her life and helped her impact the lives of others as well,” explained Brickman.

Students also participated in a question and answer segment with Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School and the Orinda Academy following the screening. “They were asked to basically talk about their experiences. So, do they see other kids being bullied? Were they bullied? and giving ideas on how to make things better,” said iKind representative Wendell Baker.

Joaquin Moraga’s principal, Joan Danilson, is a supporter of the iKind program. “This is the third year[of promoting iKind] and every year we pick a different theme. This year is celebrating differences,” she said.

The iKind program mainly focuses on kindness and positivity. It encourages students to be kind to and accepting of each other, to be willing to stand up for each other, and to create an environment where bullying isn’t tolerated. Campolindo students have worked with JM students at the middle school.

“One of the missions of the iKind project is to get older kids to help younger kids. So, to have kids from the high school go down to JM and talk about suggestions, and celebrating differences, and that everybody has a place in their school,” Baker added.

According to Baker, the iKind project is currently in contact with the Campolindo Leadership class, but they hope to reach out to more clubs and students at Campolindo.