“I encourage you all to find a new friend, get to know new things about them. Don’t let anyone sit alone,” Mrs. Trump told students at Orchard Lake.
First Lady Melania Trump spoke at a West Bloomfield, Michigan middle school on Monday about combating bullies as part of her focus as First Lady. Her visit coincides with National Bullying Prevention Month.
Mrs. Trump was joined by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos at Orchard Lake Middle School. Both spent time in a 6th grade classroom focused on social emotional learning, as well as in the school’s cafeteria. They talked with students about bullying and what they can do to make everyone feel included.
Wonderful to see kind children at Orchard Lake Middle School in Michigan! Thank you for having me! #nooneeatsalone pic.twitter.com/0m1k2OwTXZ
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) October 24, 2017
The school participated in a program called “No One Eats Alone.” The aim of the campaign was to encourage students to include everyone at lunch, a common place where students can feel socially isolated from their peers.
“I encourage you all to find a new friend, get to know new things about them. Don’t let anyone sit alone,” Mrs. Trump told students at Orchard Lake.
“No One Eats Alone” is described as a “student-led lunchtime initiative” that includes classroom instruction to help students understand the impact that bullying can have on their peers. The program was started when students found out that they have been inadvertently hurting a classmate with disabilities by not including her in social gatherings. Following her death due to medical complications, students worked with her parents to bring a message of inclusion to schools across the country.
“by our own example, we must teach children to be good stewards of the world they will inherit. We need to remember that they are always watching and listening.”
The program provides resources for schools to implement “No One Eats Alone” Day at their school. The program is one of the national programs created by Beyond Differences, an organization committed to fighting social isolation.
In a statement issued by the White House, the First Lady said that “by our own example, we must teach children to be good stewards of the world they will inherit. We need to remember that they are always watching and listening.”
She continued, “it is our responsibility to take the lead in teaching children the values of empathy and communication that are at the core of kindness, mindfulness, integrity, and leadership.”
Critics have been quick to point out how the First Lady’s anti-bullying efforts would be better focused in her own home. President Trump is known for making bold and aggressive statements on social media about political opponents. His most recent comments have been targeted at Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, calling her “wacky.” President Trump and Congresswoman Wilson have been at odds over the condolence call Trump made to the widow of a soldier killed in Niger this month.
Mrs. Trump’s Press Secretary, Stephanie Grisham told CNN that the First Lady is “independent and acts independently.” Mrs. Trump seems to act on behalf of causes that she feels passionately about that are, at times, contrary to the messaging presented by her husband. These include anti-bullying and supporting hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
In her first solo trip as First Lady, Mrs. Trump addressed the US Mission to the United Nations in September. In her speech, she called on world leaders to work to improve child welfare. “Whether it is drug addiction, bullying, poverty, disease, trafficking, illiteracy, or hunger, it is the children who are hit first and hardest in any country. And as we all know, the future of every nation rests with the promise of their young people.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLA7-112TZ4
This visit to Michigan is the first concrete action that Mrs. Trump has taken to bring attention to the bullying epidemic in America. It shows action being taken by the First Lady to walk the walk, after challenging world leaders to do the same in September.
