Daisy scout troop in Butler plans to spread anti-bullying message
Sophia Gibson recited a pledge Tuesday, Feb. 7, saying that she would not be a bully and she would stick up for people who are getting bullied if she sees it at school.
“I am a kid against bullying and I will speak when I see bullying. I will be a friend when I see bullying,” said the 7-year-old.
Reciting the pledge was easy for Sophia, a Daisy Girl Scout in the new Troop 16845, because she said she was already not a bully. The oath was administered by state Trooper Bertha Cazy at an event Feb. 7 at Mount Chestnut Presbyterian Church in Franklin Township. The event was organized by Sophia’s mom, Amanda Gibson, who is also leader of Troop 16845.
Gibson said the troop leaders wanted to address bullying with the scouts, because it has been an issue in schools. She reached out to the PACER Center, a national anti-bullying organization, to help promote an anti-bullying message to the scouts so they can go against bullying in their own lives.
“They're reaching out to their peers to address bullying and to see the power of a police officer there and how one person can make a difference,” Gibson said. “The girls are supposed to be good leaders and be very community-based and nice in the community.”
The Daisy Girl Scout troop is made up of six children who are in kindergarten and first grade at schools in the Butler Area School District. Gibson said the event Tuesday helped the scouts generate ideas on how to exercise and promote acceptance, especially thanks to the help of Cazy.
After presenting Cazy with a plaque for helping to promote anti-bullying, the girls created posters with messages urging people to stop bullying.
Sophia’s poster showed a little girl who went to a park and had her toy stolen. Another poster said “Be Kind,” and was decorated to be vibrant.
Once the posters were finished, Cazy picked her favorite.
“The winner’s had a puzzle-ish kind of theme, and it had different shapes and said, ‘Everybody's different,’” Gibson said. “So everybody is different, but it doesn't matter.”
Gibson said the work to fight bullying was just beginning.
“The girls are working to get this anti-bullying event into full swing and want to work on a video, their own troop-made poster and packets to send out to all the school districts,” Gibson said. “This is a group of six girls really devoted to making a difference in Butler. Their love and enthusiasm is so much bigger than they are.”
The scouts had a good time with all of the activities Tuesday evening, and Sophia said she was excited to meet a police officer.
“My favorite part was probably when we saw the police car,” Sophia said. “We went inside. It was really fun.”
