A concern for her home community and a desire to make a difference is what prompted 18-year-old Indianola Academy senior Myeisha Smith to conduct an anti-bullying rally for the students of her former school, Inverness Elementary School.
“You might not think you’re bullying a person, but you probably are,” she said.
Smith said the event in Inverness was her maiden endeavor at bringing awareness to bullying. “I attended Inverness, so I wanted to give back to my community. I wanted to honor my Girl Scout pledge about serving my community at all times.”
Smith said her goal is to reach the children at a young age and to teach them early that bullying someone else is not right. “If you teach them young about not bullying, then when they grow up and go all throughout high school and even after high school, they won’t try to bully anybody or they’ll speak up against people who are bullying,” she said.
Smith asserted that she knows people who have been bullied and they never speak out about it, which she said leads to them taking matters into their own hands and that could lead to self harm or suicide.
As a high school senior, Smith said she has noticed certain things over the years that caused her to think bullying was the right topic to address. “I know I can’t stop everything, but I can make some effort into stopping instead of just telling people and nothing being done about it. I want to make a difference,” she said.
Smith has completed numerous other projects, which have helped elevate her to the Gold Award eligibility status. She said the Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can achieve and added that the designation could also generate numerous scholarships for her.
During the event on Tuesday, community activist Dreifus Smith, coordinator of the Fresh Start program, gave an entertaining and motivational presentation to the students aimed at thwarting bullying.
In addition, Myeisha Smith passed out backpacks with supplies to the students along with books and other materials that were donated by various local merchants. She also treated the children to hot dogs and other snacks.
Smith said it takes a lot of legwork “But in the end it will be beneficial.”
