WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A kind word can help brighten someone's day, and a Houston County Schools project is aimed at spreading positivity and proving words do matter.
“Sometimes it’s good to be reminded that we're enough,” said seventh grader Abram Austin.
Words of affirmation bracelets are what Feagin Mill Middle students say make all the difference.
“It’s just going to be good, positive reinforcement,” Avery Thompson said.
“Many people may say that they don’t matter, but at the end of the day you matter," Mariam Agboola said.
Austin says it reminds him of his potential.
"We all have potential and this is a way to be reminded that we can do whatever we want if we put our minds to it," he said.
For Agboola, it helps her pass kind words forward.
“I'm just going to give it to somebody that needs it more than I do and they may give it to someone else. You never know when someone is going to need it," she said.
And for Thompson, it’s simply about knowing someone cares.
"It’s like -- I matter, I think I matter enough. It’s going to be like someone cares about you and I’ll know that," he said.
Those words and bracelets stem from Project Aware, a program that focuses on mental health. Tangela Brice, the project's coordinator, says it's important for students to feel supported.
"Through the holiday break we decided to give each student these bracelets because we wanted to continue to connect and support them through this season," Brice said.
The red and green bracelets that say things like “I matter" “Someone cares about me" and "I am enough" have been given out more than 30,000 times.
"Our kids are dealing with some very different challenges, so each one of those messages, I hope, speaks to the young person that receives the bracelet and they continue to be encouraged by that through the holiday break," said Brice.
Students are thankful for the encouragement.
"All these messages and stuff; they can really just help us get through whatever we're going through," Austin said.
Brice says the program was so well received, they plan to continue it next year.
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