About us
willUstand believes bystanders can make a difference and that when someone stands for another, they gift hope. Our mission is to spread this message of unity through music.
Stand the Anthem was inspired and is sung by Vermont thirteen-year-old, Charleigh Gere. After experiencing bullying in sixth grade, she and her family wanted to find a way to encourage youth to be the "one voice unafraid" to stand for others. The ideas for Stand were brought to life by her talented aunt, singer/songwriter Lahni Schultz of Bonita Springs, Florida. The song’s message to youth is simple… STAND because all people are worth standing for.
Charleigh wanted vicims to see lots of people taking a stand against bullying, not just one, so she invited the world to participate in her music video. She kicked off the project with a promotional video and then released a daily video clip throughout October (National Bullying Prevention Month) to inspire creativity and participation. Her older brother, Justin Gere, joins her in a duet rendition of Stand in the music video.
Stand united kids and adults across 17 states and 6 countries with contributions from groups as far-flung as Australia, California, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The mashup is creative and heartfelt, featuring dance, sign language and unique expressions throughout. Click here to see whose in the video and behind the scenes.
Since its launch, the message of Stand has been shared at schools, rallies, and festivals all over the US and around the world. Charleigh's local community used Stand the Anthem in a PSA to help combat bullying and promote the idea of being an Upstander. In August, Stand was screened on an outdoor theater in Brisbane, Australia. The exhibit, by Parer Place Urban Screens, titled "Moving with Music" showcased projects from the music industry that used crowd sourcing to create choreographed music videos.
The Anthem has also been shared throughout South Africa with the help of Liesl Schoonraad, an anti-bullying advocate who also holds a title for being one of the world's strongest women. She travels throughout South Africa sharing a message of hope and closes each of her talks with Charleigh's anthem. Plexus Films recently produced a documentary about Liesl's work and captured a recent screening of Stand in Cape Town. Click to watch the documentary.
Imagine what would happen if bystanders, who are the majority, stood together to end bullying. Will you stand?
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“I hope my song Stand will touch lots of hearts and save the ones that need it.” Charleigh Gere
- Help us share Stand the Anthem by using hashtags #willUstand and #StandTheAnthem