Our Mission
The Best Friends Foundation strives to provide a nationwide network of programs that is dedicated to the physical and emotional well-being of adolescents. It provides scientifically researched and developmentally sound curriculum designed for middle and high school students. The Foundation promotes self-respect through self-control and provides participants the guidance to avoid risky behaviors which can destroy their goals and dreams. In the spirit of true friendship, the Best Friends Foundation provides positive peer groups for adolescents and creates an environment that raises aspirations and promotes achievement.
Five Basic BFF Goals
- To develop critical thinking skills in adolescents to enable them to progress from the concrete to the operational stage of reasoning in which they can anticipate consequences and make sound decisions.
- To develop a sense of self-respect and self-worth through achievement within the community and through their own self-control;
- To enrich the lives of adolescents by promoting their aspirations and providing decision-making skills;
- To incorporate the school, families, role models and teacher mentors into the adolescent support system; and
- To provide educational assemblies and seminars of Kindness is Cooler for Pk – 12 grade students which promote a sense of connection to the school and to each other.
The Best Friends Foundation strives to provide a nationwide network of programs that is dedicated to the physical and emotional well-being of adolescents.
For over 35 years the Best Friends Foundation (“BFF”) has served approximately 47,000 adolescents in the District of Columbia public schools and sites across the country. Our staff takes great pride in the fact that Georgetown University research demonstrated that the BFF curriculum has significantly reduced at-risk behavior and increased positive peer relationships. In response to the current issue of adolescent violence and abusive behavior, the Best Friends Foundation has developed the high school Bullying and Relationship Violence Seminar: Stop the Silence, Prevent the Violence and the fourth through eighth grade Kindness is Cooler Seminar.
As you can see from the attached data summary, the Best Friends Foundation had much success this past school year in providing schoolwide programs designed to reduce violence and bullying. As a result, after the BFF seminar, 83% of our participants stated they would not be a bystander to violence and “would help someone being bullied.” Currently, there are very few effective data driven programs in the metropolitan (DMV) public schools which address this growing and dangerous issue.
The National Center for Education Statistics reported that bullying occurs at least once a week in 28% of middle schools. Cyberbullying, increasingly more common, occurred at least once per week in 37% of middle schools and 25% of high schools. Previously thought to “diminish over time,” a review of longitudinal studies on bullying and subsequent outcomes revealed that the negative impacts could be experienced years later. From missing school to devastating psychological distress, the consequences of bullying are so detrimental that scholars refer to it as a public health problem.
These Seminar agendas include the Best Friends Foundation musical presentation of ‘Make Music, Not Madness’, an uplifting and inspirational song and dance production which involves large-scale student participation. Student interaction is greatly encouraged with the use of resource information provided by student-led presentations.
If you have any questions regarding the Best Friends Foundation seminars and your students’ participation, please contact us at 202-274-1835, [email protected], or [email protected] for more information.
With best wishes for the best future for our youth,
Elayne Bennett
President and Founder
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"It's Not Cool to be Mean"
