She’s EmPOWERed: Michigan Tween Working to Banish Bullying Before it Starts

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When 11-year-old Payton Pinkston faced cyberbullying, like most kids her age, she felt sad and hurt. But she didn’t let that experience keep her down. She used it as motivation to help others. As the founder of the Bully Patrol project, Payton is on a mission to stop bullying before it starts.

During National Bullying Prevention Month, a time dedicated to fostering awareness and encouraging action against bullying, Empowered Flower Girl proudly shines a light on the inspiring youth who refuse to remain silent in the face of adversity. 

“I started Bully Patrol last year because I experienced cyberbullying. I thought the kids that put me in a group message were my friends only to find out they were saying mean things about me. It was disappointing and hurtful,” Payton explained. “When I experienced cyberbullying, I knew what to do because I was always taught to speak up and let my mom or an adult know. But other kids may not know and are afraid. So that’s why I came up with Bully Patrol – to stop bullying before it starts.”

With unwavering determination, Payton uses her voice and experience as powerful tools for change. Fueled by empathy and compassion, Payton strives to eradicate bullying and cyberbullying – issues that affect so many young people worldwide. 

“When I came up with the name, I was thinking about the cartoon ‘Paw Patrol’ and my mom was like, “that’s a great name,” Payton noted. “My mom told me how she used to be a safety patrol when she was in school. So we put our ideas together and said Bully Patrol will be just like a safety patrol. We patrol the hallways. We patrol the bathroom. We patrol the lunch room. We patrol at recess and we will speak at different schools and in our community.”

Payton’s ultimate goal is to take Bully Patrol nationally and even globally. “I want to have a Bully Patrol Club in every school just like they had a safety patrol club,” she said. 

In addition to her work with Bully Patrol, Payton is an entrepreneur, actress, dancer, singer and model. The ambitious tween is not only working to banish bullying, but she’s also working the runway and the stage. 
Connect with Payton via Instagram.

Empowered Flower Girl founder named to MentHer’s Top 20 Social Impact Founders List

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IMG-20211216-WA0003Rasheda Kamaria Williams, chief empowering officer and founder of Empowered Flower Girl, has been named among MentHer magazine’s “Top 20 Social Impact Founders.” Rasheda joins 19 other women around the globe named to the first annual list featured in the December issue of MentHer magazine, themed “Make Your Mark.”

The announcement was made during MentHer’s virtual Social Impact Summit on Dec. 16. 

“While attending the summit, I was surprised and honored to learn that I made the top 20 list,” Rasheda said. “The women on this list are doing some incredible work across the globe. I was shocked, yet humbled to be included. Empowered women empower women and work to help others realize their power to create change.”

The MentHer organization and magazine were founded by Ntsiki Mkhize, a South African social entrepreneur, author and model. The Social Impact Founder’s List, celebrates female founders making an impact through their business or non-profit. The 20 finalists collectively represent a combined 90 years of social impact work, over 140 jobs created, more than $14 million in annual revenue or grant funding and over 171,000 lives impacted.

About Empowered Flower Girl

Empowered Flower Girl is a social enterprise on a mission to transform the way young people relate to one another and themselves. The company provides resources and tools to help youth and youth advocates live above life’s drama (from cyberbullying to societal pressure) and make a powerful difference in the world. 

View or download the magazine here. 

Is It Teasing, Bullying or Something Else? Experts Across the Country Make the Distinction

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In an effort to help parents and caregivers identify and address bullying, WedMD recently published the feature “What Does Bullying Look Like?”

Patricia Agatston, Ph.D., International Bullying Prevention Association president, and others across the country, offered their expertise in defining what is and what isn’t bullying and what can be done to identify and support children who’ve been impacted by it.  Read the full feature here.

Agatston, a national cyberbullying, will be among the speakers at the Michigan Bullying Prevention Conference, scheduled October 1, 2016, in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Registration for the full-day event is $25 and includes breakfast and lunch. The conference will be preceded by a FREE social media workshop for parents.  Karuna Nain, Facebook global safety manager, will present “Navigating the Social World with Your Teens — Insights from Facebook,” on Thursday, September 29. Visit the Michigan conference website for details.

 

Empowered Flower Girl Workshops for Schools & Communities

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Booking spring and summer workshops!

Rasheda speaks with Communicating with Confidence workshop participant.

Empowered Flower Girl Chief Empowering Officer Rasheda Kamaria invites schools and community organizations throughout southeast Michigan and beyond to book an empowering workshop this school year.

Kamaria delivers engaging content that inspires youth, teachers, parents and the community. From workshops combating teasing, cyberbullying and drama, to programs encouraging goal-setting and career exploration, Empowered Flower Girl can helps schools and organizations address critical social issues in a way that empowers and entertains.

 

Workshops include:

  • Chica Chat – Empowered Flower Girl’s most popular workshop which fosters positive and empowering relationships among girls and young women. The two-hour program ultimately aims to combat teasing cyberbullying, girl drama and cliques. Participants have the opportunity to be self expressed, heard and understood by their peers and adult mentors in a supportive, safe and accepting environment.  Activities challenge stereotypes and “mean girl” behavior.
  • Goal Setting through Vision Boards – This workshop takes arts and crafts time to a new level. Participants learn the art of positive thinking and visualization as a method of goal setting. Each participant leaves with a vision board.
  • Communicating with Confidence –Teens learn new and effective ways to communicate with diverse audiences including the general public, potential funders and the media. The interactive workshop includes networking, mock interviews and an impromptu “talk show” culminating the training.

 

Empowered Flower Girl workshops are cost-effective for schools and nonprofits and are offered for as little at $5-10 per participant. As a social venture, Empowered Flower Girl is dedicated to supporting the community and gives back 25% of all merchandise sales to schools and organizations during cause campaigns throughout the year.

For more information or to book your workshop, email rkamaria@empoweredflowergirl.com or call 248-629-0334.

“The Communicating with Confidence workshop was fun, informative and engaging.  The girls really enjoyed the hands-on activities.  We received such positive feedback from the girls.  This was a learning experience they will truly remember.” Tonya Weary, Founder of Young Entrepreneurs Series