Valerie Weisler: An Educator and Activist Who Channeled Her Experience With Bullying Into a Global Youth Empowerment Organization
Student activism graphic
Inspiration can pop up when we least expect it, and the outcome has the potential to change people’s lives. This is what happened to 23-year-old Valerie Weisler, back when she was still attending high school. When she was younger, Valerie was shy and quiet. Her classmates bullied her, spreading rumors that she was mute, calling her names, and leaving hurtful notes in her locker. Despite her love for learning, going to school quickly became Valerie’s nightmare.
“I told myself that this was just my experience, that everyone else was having this great high school experience and I was just going to have to suffer through it,” she remembers. “I didn't see any sort of light at the end of the tunnel.”
One day, Valerie witnessed another classmate being bullied in the hallway, and she decided to go up to them and say the two words she wished someone would have said to her: “you matter.”
This simple act of kindness, this gesture of solidarity, meant the world to her classmate. They told Valerie that she had made them feel validated, and given them the hope to carry on.
“I had this fire in my belly,” she recalls of the moment that started it all. “I sat at my kitchen table for six hours and I designed The Validation Project.”
Over the course of eight years, what started as a lunchtime meetup group with other students who were going through similar experiences became a network of educational programs with a global impact. Young people would reach out to Valerie, opening up about the issues they faced, from bullying to being the only racial or religious minority in their classroom. Upon receiving these messages, Valerie realized that, much like herself, while the people reaching out had individual struggles they also had incredibly unique passions and aspirations.
“What if we created a space for students to be able to hone in on what they care about and use it for social good?” she wondered aloud.
This became a guiding principle for The Validation Project. Today, the organization has “impacted 40,000 students in 105 countries with [their] programming,” implemented a kindness curriculum in 1,000 schools, and led empowerment workshops in 450 classrooms, camps, and conferences.
The Validation Project has also led various campaigns targeting specific social issues that young people are facing. Again, Valerie’s own experience influenced her activism. One campaign stands out to her in particular. When she was applying to college, Valerie had to learn how to navigate the Common App and financial aid processes; she additionally had to explain to admissions committees that her GPA was low her freshman year due to the severe bullying she endured. Having gained this literacy on financial aid and higher education in order to attend Muhlenberg College, Valerie was able to initiate the Trailblazers campaign, which provided first-generation and low-income students with career field trips to different places where they might be interested in working. In addition, it connected them with former first-generation and low-income students who now occupy the environments that they wish to be a part of.
The Validation Project even partnered with Muhlenberg College to implement a college preparation program at a public high school in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The majority of the students at this high school that attend colleges and universities are first-generation. Students at Muhlenberg College thus served as mentors for these high schoolers, helping them navigate the college application process and making sure their financial aid needs were met.
“I really got to see what it looked like to co-create the space that I didn't have when I was navigating the system,” Valerie says, “and the power of the presence of that space for future students.”
Ideas for campaigns and programs come from a variety of sources: from conversations with friends while on a walk, to car rides, to dinner table talks. Inspiration even struck Valerie when she rediscovered her childhood diary and shared its contents with her fellow programmers.
“The most powerful ideas come from organic conversations with the people that are in your circle,” Valerie says, “[people] that are supporting you and are cheering you [on].”
A symbiotic relationship is taking place. The more The Validation Project inspires and engages young members of various communities, the more inspired and engaged its own members become in terms of providing solutions and resources.
“That's one of the coolest things about The Validation Project,” Valerie says. “We're continuing to be led by young people for young people.”
The Validation Project has accompanied Valerie throughout most of her teenage years and into her early twenties, a project she could grow alongside.
“I led The Validation Project as I've gotten my braces off… when I came out as queer my sophomore year of high school… when I thought I wasn't going to be able to get into college because I had such a low GPA from how depressed I was my freshman year of high school, and I didn't have any funding to be able to support myself.”
What started as a local personal project has become a community of support and empowerment for youth around the world. The Validation Project hopes to open doors for future generations through inclusion and education, allowing people to engage with their passions while creating positive social change. Everyone is welcome to contribute their ideas to the project, whether they’re a young person or an educator, parent, or community member who wants to support the next generation.
STORY ANA SOFIA ERATH
COVER GRAPHIC JANICE KIM