​A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting student UPSTANDERS (bullying prevention & kindness activists - from kindergarten through college) working to end bullying, save lives and build kinder communities using empathy, peer advocacy, education and the Arts!

About us

     The Be A Friend Project was established in 2015 after the debut junior cast of the middle school show, “IT’S EASY! The Friend Strong Musical” asked the playwrights, Jennifer Young (now executive director) and January Akselrad (Composer) for a way to carry off-stage the “speak up, reach out and be a friend” message. 

    Together, the young actors from the Bronx, NY, and the Playwrights developed the signature “Friend Mail” Program to deliver surprise letters of peer support with empathetic words and art to victims of bullying to help them stay strong and know they are not alone. Each new “Friend Mail Recipient” (featured monthly) receives on average between 1,000 - 2,000 letters, giving the opportunity for as many K-12 students to “step into the shoes” of the bullied peer and practice empathy; the greater a child’s capacity to empathize, the less likely they are to bully.

     Our national Teen Kindness Board helps guide new initiatives and programming. The signature Friend Mail Program delivers surprise peer support with empathetic words and art to survivors of severe bullying to help them stay strong and know they are not alone. School and community-based Kindness Clubs celebrate and cultivate acts of bullying prevention and kindness activism.

     The BAFP is now the exclusive licensor to educational entities of “IT’S EASY! The Friend Strong Musical.” The 8x Broadway World Award-winning middle school show turns ‘Bystanders’ into ‘Upstanders’ with its “speak up, reach out and be a friend” message that inspired its 2015 debut cast to develop the Friend Mail Program. 

     100% of proceeds from the purchase of a Boxed Set of 10 Friend Mail Art Cards and all profit from merchandise goes to the BAFP to help fund the growth and impact of the non-profit's mission.