During National Bullying Prevention Month, Jahkil Jackson reflects on his own experience with bullying—and introduces a new animated series designed to help younger children understand kindness, confidence, inclusion and the power of their choices.
By Jahkil Jackson, Founder of Project I Am
October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and for me, this topic is personal.
I’ve experienced bullying firsthand.
When I was younger, I was already doing things that made me a little different from some of the other kids around me. I had started Project I Am, I was speaking publicly, traveling, being featured in the media and getting attention for my community work.
From the outside, those things looked great.
But being recognized didn’t mean I was always confident. And it definitely didn’t mean that words or the way people treated me didn’t affect me.
In seventh grade, I experienced bullying that really stuck with me. I was naturally more introverted, and having people know who I was while also trying to just be a regular kid wasn’t always easy.
There were times when I questioned myself.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized just how many young people are dealing with some of those same feelings.
This Is Bigger Than My Story
According to national data, about 1 in 5 high school students reported being bullied on school property, while 16% reported being electronically bullied. In 2023, 40% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and about 1 in 5 seriously considered attempting suicide during the previous year.
Those statistics do not mean bullying caused every young person’s sadness, hopelessness or suicidal thoughts. There are many factors that affect a young person’s mental health. But research has found an association between bullying victimization and increased mental health and suicide-related risks.
For me, the numbers are another reminder that we can’t just dismiss bullying as something kids go through.
Words matter. Exclusion matters. What happens online matters. And how we treat each other matters.
That’s one of the reasons this October means so much to me.
Bringing I AM to Life
This month, I’m excited to introduce something new from Project I Am: the I AM Animated Series.
The series features three short animated stories created especially for children in Pre-K through second grade. Each episode uses situations young children can recognize to explore bullying, kindness, confidence, inclusion and what we can do when we see someone else being treated unfairly.
Creating something for kids this young was intentional.
Sometimes I think we wait until kids are older to have serious conversations with them.
But young kids already understand what it feels like to be left out.
They know what it feels like when someone laughs at them.
They know when somebody says something that hurts their feelings.
And they definitely know what kindness feels like.
So why not start there?
Bullying Doesn’t Always Look the Same
One thing I want kids to understand from these stories is that bullying isn’t always obvious.
It can be making fun of someone.
But it can also be intentionally leaving someone out, spreading rumors, encouraging other people not to be someone’s friend or embarrassing someone in front of others.
And today, it doesn’t necessarily stop when the school day ends. Phones, group chats, gaming platforms and social media can give hurtful behavior a way to follow young people home.
When you’re young, you might not even have the words to explain what you’re experiencing.
You just know that it hurts.
That’s why I wanted these animations to show situations kids can actually recognize and understand.
I don’t expect a two-minute cartoon to solve bullying.
But maybe it can start a conversation.
Maybe a child watches it and realizes, I’ve felt like that before.
Maybe another child thinks, I’ve done that to somebody.
And maybe someone else realizes, Next time I see that happening, I can do something.
That’s a start.
Why I AM Still Matters
The name of this series isn’t new.
Years ago, I wrote my children’s book, I Am, to help younger kids understand that they have value and that they are capable of making a difference.
Now, we’re taking that message from the pages of a book to the screen.
Those two words—I AM—can be incredibly powerful because what you put after them matters.
I am different.
That’s okay.
I am still learning.
That’s okay too.
I am kind.
I am confident.
I am brave.
I am enough.
Even on the days when you don’t completely believe those things about yourself yet, you can keep working toward them.
I know that from experience.
Your Difference Can Become Your Strength
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that some of the things that made me feel different when I was younger are the same things that helped shape who I am today.
I didn’t stop serving because someone made fun of me.
I didn’t stop speaking.
I didn’t stop dreaming bigger.
And I definitely didn’t stop being myself.
That doesn’t mean bullying didn’t hurt.
It means I eventually learned that somebody else’s opinion of me didn’t have to become my opinion of myself.
That’s a lesson I wish every young person could learn early.
So during National Bullying Prevention Month, my message isn’t only “Don’t bully.”
It’s bigger than that.
Be the person who includes somebody.
Be the person who doesn’t laugh when everyone else does.
Be the person who checks on your friend.
Be the person who tells a trusted adult when something isn’t right.
And if you’re the person who feels different right now, don’t let someone else convince you that being different means something is wrong with you.
Sometimes the very thing that makes you stand out becomes part of your purpose.
Watch the New I AM Animated Series
I’m excited for kids, parents, teachers, mentors and youth organizations to experience the new I AM Animated Series this October.
But my hope is that you don’t just watch it.
Talk about it.
Ask kids what they noticed. Ask how they think the characters felt. Ask what they would do differently. And remind the young people around you that their words, choices and actions matter.
You don’t have to wait until you’re older to make someone feel seen.
You don’t have to wait until you’re older to stand up for somebody.
And you definitely don’t have to wait until you’re older to make a difference.
▶ WATCH I AM: https://youtu.be/VmyjEReeLeA?si=JKdhBOzDwZREGwXs
Watch the first episode with a young person in your life and use it to start a conversation about kindness, confidence, inclusion and how we treat one another.
Don’t Wait to Be Great.
— Jahkil Jackson
Founder, Project I Am
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
