‘Choose Love’ to Stop Violence, Sandy Hook Mom Says On Eve of Shooting’s 7th Anniversary
Nurturing. Healing. Love.
“As soon as I saw that message, I knew that if our shooter had been able to give and receive nurturing, healing love, the tragedy would never have happened,” [Scarlett] says.
Right there and then, the seeds were planted for the idea for what would become the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement.
Lewis founded the program to prevent other families from having to endure the hell that she and other victims’ families have lived through since the day she lost the boy she called her “cuddle bunny.”
“Everything else we’ve tried to prevent gun violence hasn’t worked,” says Lewis, who penned a book on her son’s message, Nurturing, Healing Love: A Mother’s Journey to Hope and Forgiveness, with Natasha Stoynoff.
“Lots of people want to have safe schools,” she says. “But unfortunately, violence is increasing, trauma is increasing, bullying is increasing, substance abuse is increasing and suicide rates are increasing.”
So are mass shootings.
“The only thing that I know that addresses the cause of all of those issues — and therefore is a solution – is social and emotional
learning. That is proactive.”
“What we’re realizing now is that the most important part of school safety is the school culture — cultivating a safe, kind, connected, loving, compassionate school culture to prevent a grievance from ever happening,” she says.
If there is a grievance, the Choose Love program gives students and educators the skills and tools to manage it before it escalates into an attack, she says.
“This is actually the number-one way to have a safe school,” she says.
Nurturing. Healing. Love.
Take the Pledge to Choose Love and Be Part of the Solution
Read the full story by KC Baker (People Magazine) HERE.
