BTS ARMY WILL

STAND TOGETHER

exploring the tops

of the world

TOOLKIT OF RESOURCES
 Table of
Contents
About the Project ............................................. 3

Introduction ........................................................ 4

Facilitator Tips .....................................................5

Black Lives Matter ............................................... 6

Mental Health Awareness ................................. 7

Youth Empowerment .......................................... 8

Voting Rights ......................................................... 9

Education Rights .................................................. 10

Environmental Issues ......................................... 11

ABOUT THE
PROJECT
TAKING ACTION WITH A FANDOM

The BTS Army Will Stand Together Project was

created by two Montclair State University

students, Alma Cats and Afrah Rahaman to reach

out to the BTS Army and other K-POP/Pop Music

fandoms to educate and involve them in the social

issues that are affecting the United States right

now. If you continue to the home page and click

on each album cover, it reflects a different social

issue and provides resources on how you could be

educated on that topic or how you can get

involved and help those being affected by that

issue. Follow us on our social media links are down

below to hear updates on the project!

 Introduction

BTS spreads messages of positivity and hope This project will focus on a range of
through their music and ARMY puts those
issues, including Black Lives Matter,
messages into action. From matching BTS' million
environmental issues, youth empowerment,
dollar donation to Black Lives Matter within 24
education rights, voting rights, and mental
hours to drowning out racist hashtags on Twitter
health awareness. We will focus on
with fancams, ARMY has shown countless times

how they channel their power and passion for educating the fandom on these important

BTS into causes that go beyond the band and topics and provide resources on where

the fandom! This project is meant to take

they can further the education or how
fandom activism further and help connect fans
they can help. We have seen this fandom
all over the world that all want to help make the
do great things already but they are not
world a better place through spreading the
at the peak of their potentional.
great messages BTS has to offer.
Facilitator Tips

1. Have a safe and inclusive space to

speak freely
a. This is essential for having a

conversation about any of our

following topics.

2. Make sure everyone feels heard

a. Using non verbal cues like

nodding and maintaining eye

contact with a speaker will

encourage people to keep

talking.

3. Talk it out
a. It is super important to discuss

items before taking action.

4. Do not jump to conclusions

a. Do not assume everyone knows

everything about the subject at

hand. Explain difficult or

unfamiliar terms and make sure to

really listen to everyone's

experiences.

5. Take Action
a. In each of our section there are

resources to help out an

organization related to the topic

and that is where you can find out

more information on taking action

6. Stay Educated
a. Each topic is constantly updating

and it is so important that we

educate ourselves to the

maximum extent.
 Black Lives
Matter
Black Lives Matter started in 2013 when young Trayvon

Martin was killed and his murderer was acquitted. This

movement and organization wants to eradicate white

supremacy and build up power to stop violence in Black

communities inflicted by the state and vigilantes. They

also create a space for Black voices to be heard.

IEDUCATE YOURSELF

The Black Lives Matter movement did not just

start in 2013, it has been an ongoing movement

long before the creation of the United States,

we just didn’t know it. Black persons are still

being affected by systemic racism. Don’t know

what it is?

According to the Alberta Civil Liberties Research

Centre, “Systemic Racism includes the policies

and practices entrenched in established

institutions, which result in the exclusion or

promotion of designated groups. It differs from

overt discrimination in that no individual intent is

necessary. (Toronto Mayor's Committee on

Community and Race Relations. Race Relations:

Myths and Facts)

It manifests itself in two ways:

institutional racism: racial discrimination that derives from individuals carrying out the

dictates of others who are prejudiced or of a prejudiced society

structural racism: inequalities rooted in the system-wide operation of a society that excludes

substantial numbers of members of particular groups from significant participation in major

social institutions. (Henry & Tator, 2006, p. 352)” This problem will take time to fix, but with

people educating themselves and fixing their own biases, we know we can do it.

Materials to Review: Systemic Racism Explained YouTube Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrHIQIO_bdQ&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=act.tv

More Educational Resources: Ways You Can Help and Take Action

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
 Mental Health
Awareness
If you are dealing with any type of mental

health illness, just know you are not alone

and we love you.

Do you or someone you know struggle with mental health or have an illness? Just know our

contact page is always available and if you need someone to talk to, we are here! Around 44

million adults in the United States have a mental illness, which is about 18%. If you would like

to help others, start by connecting with them. Here are some tips from Mental Health America:

Connect with others at places you already go to. There are places that you go to over and over again -

these are great places to strike up conversations and start to make friends. At work you might ask a co-

worker to join you for lunch or to grab a cup of coffee. If you have kids involved in extracurricular activities,

you probably see the same other parents attending their practices or dropping them off each time. If you go

to the gym at the same time each day, you may notice others who are on the same workout schedule.

Use shared experience as a topic of conversation . Use your current situation as a topic to talk about.

Maybe you’re stuck waiting in a long line, or you noticed someone is wearing a shirt from a place that you’ve

been. Hometown sports, local news and events, or even the weather can also get a conversation going

Make time to be social. Going to work and taking care of life’s other daily responsibilities is time consuming

and many of us feel exhausted by the end of the day. While it’s tempting to just sit on the sofa and zone out

in front of the TV, that time can be spent in a more meaningful way. Set aside at least half an hour each day

to connect with other people outside of work

Not all connections have to be done in person. While spending time with someone face-to-face helps to

create the strongest relationships, phone calls, text messaging, emails, and video chats can maintain

friendships when distance or time constraints get in the way of hanging out.

Accept invitations. If someone asks you to go somewhere or do something with them, accept their invitation.

When you turn people down over and over, they may stop inviting you. It may not be your favorite place or

activity, but you can use the time to build your friendship and suggest things you like better for the next time

you get together with that person.

Pay attention to what other people are interested in. For instance, you may notice a family portrait or a

pet’s picture on a coworker’s desk. Ask them how old their children are, or what their pet’s name is - and

show genuine interest in their answers. Ask follow up questions and if appropriate, share something relevant

about yourself, like how many children you have or the name of your pet.

Organize activities. If there is something that you are interested in doing, ask someone else (or a group of

other people) to join you. It can be hard to make the first move, but it may end up that someone else wanted

to do the same thing all along and was waiting to find out who else was interested. Don’t be discouraged if

schedules don’t cooperate sometimes. Keep making invitations!

Materials to Review: Mental Health America Organization Website

https://www.mhanational.org/
 Youth
Empowerment
Spread your wings! The older generations may

say we are too young to make change or too

inexperienced. But we can make change.

Many of the members of the BTS ARMY are young people,

and it may seem at times that people who are older than

us discourage us from making change or not having

enough life experience. That won’t stop us from making

change and we get those life experiences by doing just

that. This time is our time to create this change in our

world because if not now, when will it change? Of course

it will be gradual but by the time our children and our

children’s children experience the world, it will be

different from when we experienced it.

To feel inspired and help other youths feel empowered,

join the Youth Empowerment Project! Not only have they

changed lives forever but have helped the youth feel

better about their future. There are options to become a

mentor, donate to the cause and goes into depth on why it

is so important to empower the youth.

Materials to Review: The Youth Empowerment website

https://youthempowermentproject.org/
 Voting
Rights
We wanted to use Map of the Soul 7 to

providean informational "map" on how to vote

and why it is so important for the future.

7 REASONS YOU SHOULD VOTE:

1. You are making your voice heard

2. It is YOUR future that is at

stake

3. Every single vote counts

4. Voting is your right

5. If you want to see change, it

starts with voting

6. There are options to vote

beyond just going in person

7. It is the foundation of

democracy

Materials to Review: Abesntee and Early Voting

https://www.usa.gov/absentee-voting

Finding Local ELection Office Website

https://www.usa.gov/election-office

Election Day

https://www.usa.gov/election-day

Voting Requirements

https://www.usa.gov/who-can-vote

Deciding Who to Vote For

https://www.usa.gov/voter-research

Polling Place Locator

https://www.vote.org/polling-place-locator/
 Education
Rights
More than 72 million kids do not have easy access to education around the

world. Education is something that is so important and everyone should have

access to it, which is why we want to work to raise funds for more schools to

be built and for more free education programs to be available worldwide. We

wanted to use the album "Skool Luv Affair" to promote education rights on a

global scale. We thought this album of BTS was very fitting for this issue

because it is all about focusing on life as teens in school.

QUICK FACTS:
-1 In 5 school-aged children are

not able to attend school and

receive an education

- Poverty is one of the biggest

barriers that children face when it

comes to why they cant access

education

- In some countries, gender

equality is not the reality, so girls

have more limited options

education wise

Materials to Review: Ted Talk of the Global Learning Crisis

https://www.ted.com/talks/amel_karboul_the_global_learning_crisi

s_and_what_to_do_about_it/up-next?language=en

Places to Donate

https://support.savethechildren.org/site/Donation2?

df_id=1620&1620.donation=form1

https://www.unicefusa.org/?form=donate
 Environmental
Issues
Our environment and nature is one of "the most beautiful" parts

of life and it is in danger. Things like climate change, pollution,

deforestation, water pollution, etc. have been the harsh reality

for many years. We need to take action to try and restore earth's

natural beauty, starting from your very own local communities.

OUR MAIN FOCUSES

AIR POLLUTION DEFORESTATION

DEFINITION:- Air pollution is defined as "the DEFINITION:- According to National Geographic,

presence of substances in the atmosphere that deforestation can be defined as the...."Human-

are harmful to the health of humans and other driven and natural loss of trees—deforestation—

affects wildlife, ecosystems, weather patterns, and

living beings, or cause damageto the climate or
even the climate"
to materials"
CAUSES:- Farming, grazing of livestock, mining,
CAUSES:- Burning of fossil fuels, excessive
drilling
waste in landfills, factory exhaust, mining
EFFECTS/IMPORTANCE:- "250 million people in
operations, car exhaust
the world who live in forest/savannah areas
EFFECTS/IMPORTANCE:- Air pollution is one of
heavily depend on trees for subsistence/income"
the biggest contributors to global warming. Mold
"Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of
and pollen become more apparent in the
its canopy, which blocks the sun’s rays during the
environment as an effect. The two main types of
day and retains heat at night." Deforestation adds
air pollution are: SMOG and SOOT, other air
to the massive temperature increases that have
pollutants include: Mercury, lead, dioxins and
been happening around the world. Trees are

benzene (these are all very harmful to your important for many reasons, but the biggest is that

health) they supply us with the oxygen that we breathe

GLOBAL WARMING MORE INFO ABOUT AIR POLLUTION

DEFINITION:- According to NASA, global warming https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/

can be defined as...."the unusually rapid increase air-pollution/

in Earth's average surface temperature over the MORE INFO ABOUT DEFORESTATION

https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestatio
past century primarily due to the greenhouse gases
n-and-forest-degradation
released by people burning fossil fuels"
MORE INFO ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING
CAUSES:- Air pollution trapping the heat, burning
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/global-warming-101
of fossil fuels, emissions from the transportation

industry
DONATION LINKS
EFFECTS/IMPORTANCE: Significant temperature
AIR POLLUTION: https://www.coltura.org/donation-
swings, melting glaciers, sea levels rising
air-pollution
increased flooding, heat waves, natural habitats
DEFORESTATION
getting destroyed, allergies, asthma, etc.
https://amazonwatch.org/donate
becoming more common
GLOBAL WARMING

https://climateemergencyfund.org/?form=donate

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

https://rb.gy/irvjof
Thank You!