You know how we women always talk about supporting other women? Whether in work, social, or life in general, we gals realize sticking together makes everything a bit easier. Now, wouldn’t it be great if this started when we were younger?

There seems to be an inherent rivalry amongst females. Fighting over a guy, a job, or a parking spot can bring out the claws. While time seems to bring more zen between us, none of us would debate tween and teen girls are at the height of girl trouble. What starts as simple disputes and sassiness on elementary school playgrounds can get pretty ugly once they get to middle school. Spats and sneers happen. And sometimes it’s good to get our daughters ready for life by letting them handle disputes on their own. But too often things go much further than kids know how to handle. Name calling, spreading rumors, or verbal and physical abuse can lead to depression, anxiety, self harm, and even suicide.

Why are girls so hard on each other and what can we do to change this?

Two women, and real life BFFs, are working very hard to figure this dilemma out and inspire positive change. Lauren Paul and Molly Thompson are co-founders of Kind Campaign, an organization directed at bringing attention to “girl on girl crime.” This can be anywhere on the map from not letting someone sit at a lunch table to serious cruelty.

Information on bullying is nothing new to parents and school administration. But what makes Kind Campaign different is a focus on bringing awareness of this type of cruelty to those who are most affected: our girls. It not only helps girls to realize they are not the only ones being mistreated, but shows real life consequences to those doing the bullying.

Lauren and Molly share stories of girl on girl cruelty (including their own) via assemblies and social media influencers. What started out as a documentary on female bullying, turned into a non-profit that is helping girls across America tell their stories and bring to light the damage done by these acts.

They’ve also developed a curriculum that can be used with Kind Clubs. These clubs are established through schools, youth organizations or even groups of friends as a way to build a mini community where girls can feel safe and build trusting friendships. There are currently hundreds of Kind Clubs across the country.

Mean girl type behavior is so prevalent that it is almost accepted as a rite of passage. How insane that we feel, and sometimes even advise, this bullying is just a phase, a stepping stone in life that will eventually get better. The sad truth is, some girls don’t make it through this “phase” to get to the better.

Middle school years are tough enough. Self discovery, adjusting to changing bodies, dealing with pressure from sports and academics. We women need to teach young girls to band together and stand up for each other, not keep their heads down and grit it out. Kudos to Lauren and Molly for getting the conversation started. It is up to us to keep it going.

If you are interested in setting up an assembly or organizing a Kind Club, go to KindCampaign.com. You can also follow along on Instagram to keep up with the campaign.

Related on EcoSalon

Bully: A New Documentary To Empower the Underdog

Acceptable Cyber Bullying: Why Are Anonymous Commenters So Vicious?

8 Ways Introverts Can Avoid Social Awkwardness (Without Being a Recluse)

Image of happy girl via Shutterstock

The post Kind Club Campaign On a Mission to Stop Girl Bullying appeared first on EcoSalon.

A weekly roundup of EcoSalon’s top stories.

Before we all have a big love fest for bamboo, let’s get to know it a little bit more. Kelly Drennan, in her article Bamboo, We Hardly Knew Ye, writes: “Bamboo seemed like a miracle fiber – and in a sense, it is. It’s turning it into fabric that’s the more complicated issue.” It’s important to be able to make an informed decision about environmental impact before ruling any fabric out – read up to learn more.

In our weekly Insider’s Guide To Life: Bite Me, Sara Ost dishes out tips on how to deal with female bullies at any age. Ost writes: “If the thought of never seeing your bully again gives you more joy than the thought of a bathtub full of calorie-free sea-salt and caramel chocolate truffles dipped in lottery tickets, fame, a flat stomach and true love, it’s time to walk away.” Enough said.

Unless you’re living on the moon or ride a bike, you’re probably painfully aware of gas prices rising. If you don’t live in a city and have access to public transportation you might even be feeling doomed, damned or find yourself prone to yelling at the sky with a clenched fist. News editor Andrea Newell’s 11 Ways To Save At The Pump gives city and country dwellers the opportunity to become environmentally empowered (and financially enhanced) by being just a bit more conscious.

Has your sustainable path led you to veganism? You’re not alone, but there are also many ex-vegans like EcoSalon writer Abigail Wick who, in The Conscious Case Against Veganism, writes: “Conscientious consumption means eating and living ethically, not religiously. As Slate’s Christopher Cox says, ‘Eating ethically is not a purity pissing contest, and the more vegans or vegetarians pretend that it is, the more their diets start to resemble mere fashion – and thus risk being dismissed as such.'”

As you can imagine, vegans near and far were interested in this topic so we also published a rebuttal from Laura Hooper Beck, a vegan writer, the founding editor of Vegansaurus, Editor-at-Large for VegNews Magazine, and the community manager of VegWeb, to speak on behalf of the vegan community.

While we continue to hear bad news from Japan, how its people are managing in the face of this crisis is deeply inspirational. In Heroism And Hope: 7 Heartwarming Tsunami Stories, Newell finds, “…heroism is not dead, love is a powerful motivator, hope is still alive, and people can be compassionate toward strangers.”

Image: kimubert

The post Friday Five, Vol. 6 appeared first on EcoSalon.