Con tan solo 14 años, la joven Allison Waters Albert de Georgia se convirtió en embajadora contra el acoso en su comunidad. Con el respecto y la admiración de sus compañeros por su disposición a contar su historia, Allison ha inspriado a muchos adolescentes de su distrito escolar a tomar una posición de rechazo al acoso. Through extensive work with 4-H, one of the largest youth development programs in the world, and numerous speaking engagements at area schools, Allison’s efforts have spearheaded the campaign for bullying prevention in her Georgia hometown.
Once a victim of bullying herself, Allison says she became involved with anti-bullying efforts through her 4-H membership. 4-H has been very committed to educating youth on all facets of bullying, helping to empower those who have suffered as victims and inspiring those who feel apathetic about bullying to become actively engaged. After attending several club meetings centered on bullying, Allison says she felt inspired to share her own story.
"Through research I discovered how bullying affects everyone. I knew that my story could reach more people if [it] became my 4-H project," she said. "Quería cambiar y ayudar a otros al mismo tiempo".
After receiving the go-ahead from her 4-H coordinator, Allison set off to complete her 4-H project on bullying prevention, later competing in 4-H's Junior Project Achievement competition. Allison placed first among eighth graders within her district for her demonstration. Following her success in the competition, Allison became a frequent feature in area schools, speaking to countless youth about bullying and mentoring others to overcome the hurt of being bullied.
Ultimately, Allison desires to simply "help others and bring joy into the world." Allison hasn't slowed down her efforts and is currently busy at work on a bullying prevention video for a national competition and coordinating a "Stop the Bull!" project club to help both victims and participants of bullying.