Project: Stand up, Speak Up report

After witnessing how often sexual harassment was happening to students in middle and high schools, Madalynne Honeycutt, a Juliette Ambassador from Clinton Township, couldn’t remain quiet any longer.

Madalynne made it her Gold Award mission to educate as many people as possible about the problem of sexual harassment in schools and what can be done to end the destructive cycle.

Knowledge is power

Acknowledging there is a persistent problem of sexual harassment in schools is the first step in ending the issue.

Madalynne developed an in-depth program to educate students, teachers, and parents about the different forms of harassment, how to recognize it, and ways to effectively respond.

“I covered the different forms of sexual harassment, including verbal, non-verbal, and physical and provided resources where students can seek help and support,” she said.

Raising awareness

Sexual harassment can have long term negative effects on well- being, self-esteem, academic success, and over all mental health, Madalynne learned during her research.

“The goal of my Gold Award project was to empower individuals, especially young people, to understand their rights and foster a supportive, respectful environment,” she explained. She helped participants learn how to identify inappropriate behavior and the steps to take when they encounter harassment.

But mostly, Madalynne wanted students who have suffered sexual harassment to know they are not alone and they can do something about it.

Gold lessons

Madalynn’s Gold Award project taught her how working with a lot of different people and pulling together efforts can amplify the impact of a project. This experience also helped her develop confidence and problem-solving skills when facing challenges, she said.

Find out more

Madalynn chats about her Gold Award on GSSEM’s YouTube channel. You can find more information about Gold Awards at www.gssem.org/highestawards.