This week we head to the Emotion Revolution Summit at Yale where the Flawless Foundation is proud to be one of the sponsors of an important collaboration between the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation. The Emotion Revolution is a groundbreaking movement that aims to change the climate in high schools and the dialogue surrounding emotional intelligence for our nation's young people.
In preparation for this revolutionary event, we gathered a group of high school students in our local community to talk about the Emotion Revolution. We asked the students what being "flawless" means to each of them and to create "You Are Flawless" postcards for the 400 summit participants at Yale. What happened in these sessions was miraculous, as the students inspired us all with their creative expression and wisdom! It's important to know that these were students who attend an alternative school for kids who cannot be served in the regular special education programs in their local schools. They have various mental health and behavioral challenges with histories of school failure, detention, and suspension. We believe that the kids in these programs are flawless and have been failed by a broken system in need of reform. And this incredible group of teens proved that theory right once again.
Their artwork was vibrant and filled with color, hearts, flowers, and rainbows! These are kids with hope. These are kids with resilience. In the face of adversity, their love and light continue to shine through. You'd never know that some of their diagnoses include social challenges or symptoms such as lack of empathy. In our experience with this group of Flawless kids, they were cooperative, kind, open, engaged, and so well-behaved.
One member of the group had an anxiety attack when we were in the classroom with him, and he talked about his inability to sleep at night due to intruding thoughts and visions. Despite his challenges, he was one hundred percent engaged and connected with our team. He brought tears to our eyes over and over again, particularly when he took change out of his pockets and asked if he could donate to our cause. Then, he told us that when he becomes a Marine, he will name his squadron "The Flawless Squadron." At the end of our time together, he asked if he could give each of us a hug.
One of the girls wrote this Flawless message on a Post-it note:
F - feel like a million bucks
L - love yourself more than anything
A - always be cool
W - worry NAWT what other people think
L - live like a BAWSS
E - everyone should love you cuz you are you
S - stand strong
S - smile everyday
What is incredible about this Post-it love note is that she made this only a few minutes after she'd had a difficult time in class. Her talk with a counselor caused her to be late to our session, but this gift to the group was priceless. After apologizing for her behavior and tardiness, she inspired us all with her words of wisdom. Who knew that such a small piece of paper could radiate so much love and kindness!
These are the kids who are often perceived as the outliers at school, the ones that people judge, punish, and bully. One of the counselors said that he couldn't believe how well all the kids were working together with us, particularly because it was a Friday afternoon, and all the students were tired and ready for the weekend. Yet, this group of students, of all ages, worked with incredible focus and cooperation to help us assemble the 400 packages of postcards to send to next week's summit at Yale. Our staff started smiling and winking at each other when the counselor mentioned his surprise and delight at the students' behavior. We knew it was the elixir of seeing perfection and light in these kids.
We all need to give Lady Gaga, Marc Brackett from Yale, and their teams a standing ovation for listening to our young people and for revolutionizing schools as places where young people can be accepted for who they are and thrive. Huge gratitude to them for helping to create a world where everyone looks at our kids through the lens of "Flawless" colored glasses -- and turns that embracing vision into a reality.