Local Teens are Finding Kind

In a recent partnership with NCHS, New Canaan Youth Services, Grace Community Church and St. Mark's Church, the Outback hosted a screening of the viral documentary, Finding Kind.

In Finding Kind, filmmakers Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson, who met while in school at Pepperdine University, set out in a cross country journey of discovery and education. Interviewing women and girls along the way about their lives and experiences, Parsekian and Thompson find, among all of the unique personal stories, some universal truths about growing up as girls. (http://findingkind.indieflix.com/home/)

While the film focuses on "girl-on-girl" crime/violence/bullying, it opened up the eyes and minds of many New Canaan community members of all ages.  The events of the film force you to answer some pretty difficult questions:

• Have you ever been negatively affected by something another student/peer has said to you?
• Have you ever said something that negatively affected another student/peer?
• Have you ever witnessed another student be negatively affected by something said to them?
• How do these common occurances affect your experience in school, or in your day to day life?

The film goes on to expose the harsh reality of the negative impact words can have on others... from the seemingly innocent joke to the brutally viscious insult.

Now... let's be real for a second:  We all want to be liked.  And none of us can say we have never said or done something that has negatively affected another person.  That being said, we may not be able to change the world, but we can change our own individual habits... it always starts with one.

Throughout the film, girls across the country admit their wrongdoings, as well as describe the feelings and emotions that ran through them during times they have been on the receiving end.  But this film does not intend to simply point fingers at the aggressors, as they have a story to tell to.  The point is that we can put ourselves in each others shoes, and motivate change by spreading kindness and compassion to our peers.

Post-screening, one freshman boy stated, "This shouldn't have been voluntary... every student in the high school and younger should be required to watch this movie."  He may be on to something.  It seems that the biggest obstacle to overcome in finding solutions to these problems, is making everyone aware that they exist.  And it's not just girl-on-girl crime that is running rampant through our schools... it is simply person-on-person, and it needs to end.