Be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect) was founded by The Creative Coalition and WWE in April 2011. The mission of Be a STAR is to ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation through grassroots efforts beginning with education and awareness. Be a STAR promotes positive methods of social interaction and encourages people to treat others as equals and with respect because everyone is a star in their own right.
Currently, Be a STAR has 58 alliance members, including National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN), GLAAD, STOMP Out Bullying, The Ad Council and the United Federation of Teachers all partnering together to take action against bullying.
As part of its mission, the alliance unveiled a free anti-bullying curriculum created by NEA HIN and True Educator, Inc. The teacher’s resource aide aligns with national education standards to complement existing mandated curriculums, and consists of nine lesson plans and video clips that teachers can access for free. The curriculum has been downloaded by more than 3,000 educators across the country.
Furthermore, The Alliance debuted Be a STAR Chapter Toolkits to help schools and communities start their own Be a STAR chapters. The free kit includes a guide on how to start a Be a STAR chapter, suggested activities, resources, a poster and other useful tools to combat bullying. The chapter toolkit has been downloaded by more than 4,000 students across the country.
Through the Be a STAR website, over 30,000 people from all 50 US states and from 91 international countries have taken the pledge to end bullying through WWE’s Be a STAR program.
In an ongoing effort to spread the word about tolerance and respect, WWE Superstars and Divas visit two - three schools or community centers per month to speak with students about bullying issues including sharing their own personal stories. Additionally, the Be a STAR program also has many celebrities and public officials participated in these events and support Be a STAR and the fight against bullying including the Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, James Durbin, Micah Jesse, AnnaLynne McCord, Jordan Sparks and more.
"Be a STAR is a tremendous program which provides kids and their teachers with positive tools to prevent bullying. The Educators Resource Guide offers non-threatening, non-humiliating solutions to a problem that causes more than 150,000 young people to miss school every day. WWE and The Creative Coalition have launched an anti-bullying campaign that is substantive enough for adults and cool enough for kids." - Solomon Alexander, St. Louis Sports Commission.
