Bystander Revolution
Bystander Revolution is an anti-bullying organization founded in 2014 by billionaire, author, and parent MacKenzie Bezos.
Bystander Revolution offers advice about simple things individuals can do to defuse bullying. Bystander Revolution's website is an online resource that includes hundreds of unscripted videos featuring celebrities, students, experts, and others talking about their personal experiences with bullying.
Bystander Revolution provides crowdsourced solutions to bullying and suggested actions bystanders can take when they see bullying, as well as free multimedia lessons on anti-bullying topics for educators.
Contributors
Olympic athletes, Oscar-winning actors, Grammy award-winning musicians, anti-bullying experts, and others have contributed videos for Bystander Revolution including:- Akon, singer/songwriter
- Amanda Palmer, singer/songwriter
- Ansel Elgort, actor
- Billie Jean King, tennis player
- Chad Smith, musician
- Colum McCann, author
- Danica Patrick, auto racing driver
- Demi Lovato, singer/songwriter and actor
- Dr. Ruth, sex therapist and author
- Drew Lynch, comedian
- Elizabeth Banks, actor
- Gavin de Becker, security expert and author
- George Stroumboulopoulos, talk show host
- Jamie Lee Curtis, actor
- Jared Leto, actor and musician
- Jason Collins, NBA player
- Jason Mraz, singer/songwriter
- Jenna Elfman, actor
- Jillian Michaels, health and wellness expert
- John Green, author
- Kenny Ortega, director and choreographer
- Laura Dern, actor
- Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter, producer, and director
- Lily Collins, actor
- Lucy Hale, actor and singer
- Maddie & Tae, country music duo
- Mary Lambert, singer, songwriter
- Melissa Joan Hart, actor
- Michael J. Fox, actor and author
- Missy Franklin, Olympic swimmer
- Monica Lewinsky, anti-bullying activist
- Nat Wolff, actor
- Neil Gaiman, author
- Nina Dobrev, actor
- Olivia Holt, actor
- Philip Zimbardo, psychologist
- Raghava KK, artist
- Rita Wilson, actor, singer, and producer
- Salma Hayek, actor, director, and producer
- Sam Trammell, actor
- Shailene Woodley, actor
- TJ Dillashaw, MMA fighter and UFC Bantamweight Champion
- Tom Brady, NFL quarterback
- Tony Robbins, motivational speaker and author
- Vanessa Marano, actor
- Wayne Gretzky, ice hockey player
Ambassadors
Celebrity Ambassadors
Actor Lily Collins became Bystander Revolution's first ambassador in 2014.Bystander Revolution announced on June 8, 2015 that Monica Lewinsky had joined the organization as an ambassador and strategic advisor following her speeches for TED and the Forbes Under 30 Summit,.
Youth Ambassador Program
The Youth Ambassador Program is a select group of student leaders who help Bystander Revolution reflect a youthful perspective and remain relatable and helpful for students. In addition to providing feedback and advice, the Youth Ambassadors promote Bystander Revolution's social media initiatives.Notable Youth Ambassadors include Hannah Alper, a motivational speaker, blogger, and activist; Carleigh O'Connell, whose story about standing up to her body shaming bullies went viral in July 2014; and Shereen Pimentel, who was crowned Miss America's Outstanding Teen in 2015 with an anti-bullying platform called "Words Hurt, Erase the Hate".
Events
On April 23, 2015, Bystander Revolution was featured at We Day Seattle 2015. Ambassador Lily Collins delivered a speech to the KeyArena audience about the power of consistent, simple actions to effect change and shift the culture of bullying toward kindness.Coinciding with We Day Seattle 2015, Bystander Revolution launched a Twitter campaign called #standkind, a challenge to spread kindness on social media in the form of compliments.
On May 23, 2015, Bystander Revolution teamed up with Dance Free Movement for an event in honor of "Dancing Man" Sean O'Brien who received an outpouring of support after being shamed on the internet for being overweight. Moby deejayed the event, Pharrell Williams initiated a dance flash mob, Tatyana Ali served as the host, and presenters included Monica Lewinsky and Andrew W.K.
For National Bullying Prevention Month in October 2015, Bystander Revolution introduced Month of Action, a 31-day campaign inspiring individuals to help defuse bullying with simple, daily challenges. Each challenge was hosted by a Bystander Revolution ambassador, contributor, or partner organization. Salma Hayek, Olivia Wilde, Shonda Rhimes, Rashida Jones, Bradley Cooper, Lizzie Velasquez, Moby, Alan Cumming, Emmy Rossum, Tyson Chandler, Andy Cohen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael J. Fox, Drew Lynch, Melissa Joan Hart, Monica Lewinsky, and Lily Collins hosted daily challenges.
Crowdsourced solutions
Bystander Revolution is modeled on the idea that peer-to-peer advice can be uniquely encouraging and helpful for individuals seeking solutions to bullying. For this reason, the advice and resources compiled on the site were acquired by crowdsourcing the advice presented in the 300+ videos on the website, along with contributions from advisors.Anti-bullying solutions and tips are also crowdsourced from Bystander Revolution's partners, including Common Sense Media, MTV's Look Different, No Bully, and PACER's National Bullying Prevention center.
Partners
Various non-profit organizations, corporations, and government entities have partnered with Bystander Revolution, including:- Common Sense Media
- Crisis Text Line
- We Day
- The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
- The Bully Project
- GLAAD
- The Sikh Coalition
- IMDb
- The Heroic Imagination Project
- Craftivist Collective
- The Tyler Clementi Foundation
- PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center
- No Bully
- MTV's Look Different
- Anti-Bullying Pro
- P.S.-I Made This...
- Community Matters
- Tarte Cosmetics
- Twitter for Good
- Dance Free Movement
- Safer Internet Day
Advisors
- Gavin de Becker, expert on the prediction and management of violence
- Philip Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University
- Dorothy Espelage, Professor of Child Development in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Nicholas Carlisle, Founder and CEO of No Bully
- James McGee, author of The Classroom Avenger, the first forensic study of rampage school shooting incidents across the United States
- Richard Lieberman, coordinator of the Suicide Prevention Services of Los Angeles Unified School District
- Roxana Marachi, Associate Professor of Education in the Lurie College of Education at San Jose State University