A Safe Harbor

For adolescents dealing with bullying, depression or suicidal thoughts, there is now a “safe harbor” right here in New Rockford.

Safe Harbor- Stand for the Silent, is the newly created New Rockford chapter of Stand for the Silent, an organization with a mission to address the realities of school bullying and its life and death consequences.

Stand for the Silent was started in May 2010 by Kirk and Laura Smalley, whose 11-year-old son, Ty, took his own life after suffering from bullying for over two years.

Since then, Stand for the Silent has reached nearly four million kids across 5,098 schools nationwide. And now, local residents Maidie and Roger Enget, inspired by their own experience with their children and bullying, have sponsored a local chapter here in New Rockford.

“We've spoken with many different people in the community and either their kids had also experienced bullying or they themselves had,” said Maidie Enget. “I heard about Stand for the Silent through Facebook, when the Bismarck/Mandan chapter was getting started and I've followed their journey for about a year and a half and we just decided it was time to do something here.”

During a meeting at the New Rockford Evangelical Free Church on Sunday, Feb. 19, the new chapter was given a name and slogan and elected members to leadership positions.

The official name is “Safe Harbor- Stand for the Silent,” and their slogan is “I am somebody.”

Their constitution states that their purpose is to fight against bullying, “which can lead to adolescent depression and suicide.” Enget added that their chapter will fight against all forms of bullying, whether that be physical or verbal bullying, or cyber bullying online.

“The purpose of the chapter is to raise awareness and provide education to our community on the effects of bullying and youth suicide,” explained Enget. “Dealing with bullying is not easy for students or parents; from personal experience we felt like we were not being heard or acknowledged and more often than not, it feels like the issues with bullying get swept under a rug.

“Our group wants students (and parents) to know there are people in this community who care and are listening, and they are not alone,” she continued. “We might not be able to fix their situation, but we can be that listening ear and help them through what they are dealing with.”

Maidie Enget was elected president of the new chapter, with Echo Sewell as vice president. Rikka Gudmunson and Misty Cronin were elected secretary and treasurer, respectively.

With the formalities of creating a new chapter taken care of on Sunday, Stand for the Silent’s president, Kirk Smalley, officially recognized the new chapter in New Rockford the following day.

“We at Stand for the Silent, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, do hereby recognize: Safe Harbor- Stand for the Silent, with sponsor Maidie Enget and co-sponsor Roger Enget, as an official ‘Chapter,’” wrote Smalley. “… We are so very honored to have you join us and look forward to working with you to stop bullying in our world! Welcome to SFTS!!!”

Now, Enget is free to look ahead at how the chapter can begin to make a real difference for kids and parents in New Rockford.

Guest speakers, such as Kirk Smalley, have already expressed interest in traveling to New Rockford to speak about their own experiences, and fundraising events and activities are being considered.

“We've discussed planning some activities for youth where they can participate in a safe, bully-free environment,” said Enget. “... My husband and I have tossed around the idea of having a kids' fishing derby. We might look at holding a spaghetti feed, having chili cook-offs, or something along those lines to promote awareness and raise money to support the activities we want to provide.”

There are already a dozen members of the new chapter, and more are always welcome, Enget said.

Safe Harbor’s next meeting will be held on Monday, March 27 at the New Rockford Eagles Club at 5:30 p.m., and anyone interested in becoming a member is invited to attend. Future meetings will also be held on the fourth Monday of the month at the Eagles Club.

Enget noted, however, that if a student or parent reached out, an emergency meeting could be planned, “so they know they are not alone.” Enget also said she wants people to know that anything they share within the group will be kept in confidence.

“We are a safe, no-judgment zone,” assured Enget. “We are not there to condone or condemn anyone's situation or their reaction to what they have been dealing with, we are there to listen and let them know they are not alone. We really just want to make a positive impact in our community.”

The local chapter has a Facebook page where local residents can keep up to date with what the group is doing, planning, or to simply read some inspirational messages. Those interested can find the page by searching “Safe Harbor- Stand for the Silent.”

The organizers can also be contacted via email at [email protected].

“If we can get a few people to speak up when they see it happening, maybe more people will feel they can also speak up, either for themselves or others,” said Enget. “All it takes is for someone to stand up and say something.”