October is National Bullying Prevention Month!
Tara Townes is the CEO of Bullying Buddying Consulting, an impassioned speaker, book author, inventor, and developmental therapist with over 20 years of experience working with women, children, and families.
Hi Tara, can you please tell us more about your background working with women, children, and families?
Tara Lynn Townes – President of Tiny Be Mighty, an impassioned author, App Inventor, developmental therapist, and certified professional life coach. With a master’s in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University, I have many years of seasoned experience working with women, children, and families as a whole. With a BS in child development and many years of professional life coaching and counseling, I am passionate about being a positive example of love and acceptance to all mankind. As a philanthropist and mentor of the Women’s Welfare to Work program, I was recognized by the California State Senate and Congress for my participation and work. As a result of my personal and professional journeys, above all, I believe that our best life is what we create and this is true for our worst life. Therefore, living beyond ourselves is how we create greatness.
Why did you create Bullying Buddy Consulting?
When my son Corey was diagnosed with a condition known as Achondroplasia or“Dwarfism”, there was little doubt in my mind that my son was born with a mighty purpose. That’s why I embarked on a personal endeavor to raise awareness about dwarfism and offer a resolution for bullying. Thus, I established a non-profit organization “ Tiny Be Mighty” and my son Corey and I received congressional recognition from the state of Connecticut for our anti-bullying work.
How do you feel being the first black woman to launch something as important as this?
I truly feel honored! I’m proud to be a black woman and the first to launch something such as this but I also feel obligated. As a culture, we must be enlighted to protect ourselves and our children. Our children are leading in suicide and this is something that has never taken place in the history of time. It shows us that there is a breakdown somewhere in our family structure. I know this app will help with teaching, supporting, and saving lives.
What is your mission with Bullying Buddy Consulting?
Our mission is to educate and save lives. The main goal is to redirect bullying and violations. Moreover, it is also here to prevent suicide attempts and suicide in general as well as individuals being victimized.
In recent years we have seen an increase in bullying and suicide among children and young adults What are some of the signs to look for? Do you feel social media has played a part in it?
If your child begins to withdraw, shut down, isolate themselves and not do the things they absolutely love to do. In addition, loss of appetite, loss of enthusiasm, etc. I definitely feel that social media plays an important role in cyberbullying because it is the way that our society is learning how to communicate. We are relying on tablets to watch our children while we work and do other things, so no judgment place but when we leave games, tablets, electronics, and things that are impersonal with the lack of human touch it leaves them susceptible to violations especially online. I believe that we are a culture that thrives off of likes so if you’re loved online then you feel accepted, you feel important and you feel validated. If you’re not ten then your whole life is destroyed. This is what society is showing our children and our youth you only matter if you have superficial likes because of social media.
Have you seen an increase in traffic to your app?
Yes, it is definitely beginning to bud and we are in the midst of some very big things taking place to present it to the world. I’m so excited about all of the things that are about to take place. You can have the best food on the planet, but if people don’t have the address to your restaurant, they’ll never get a chance to eat it. So, in the beginning, it was rude that we travel to expose the app, but now it’s about to have the major exposure that it deserves. We know that the goal and mission are once again to educate and save lives.
Why do you feel it is important to have access to these programs like your app at your fingertips?
I feel it is very important to have access to programs such as this because it is saving lives. With a press of a button, you are able to record what’s happening to you, and your parent or loved one gets an immediate alert seeing everything. The app does so many incredible things and there’s really nothing like it on the market. There are things that are close but this one really hits the bullying from every perspective. It’s a preventative method that’s why it’s crucially important.
Also, when violations take place, you have to catch them so that you have something to report, once again that’s what this does. I also have a Curriculum “ The be brave Curricular” which is an empathy base and SEl curriculum that is going to redirect behavior. The app is one aspect that stops bullying in its tracks while it’s saving someone’s life. When I mean save a life, I mean if someone’s educated and it redirects a behavior like either bullying or being a receiver of bullying, that’s still saving a life to me. The app saves it and saves the life in a second, but the curriculum redirects behavior for a lifetime.
You will find more information on the Website: https://thebullyingbuddy.com/about-us/
