The Responsibility Project^®. Exploring what it means to do the right thing

by Liberty Mutual

Saturday Feb 04

This is a transcript of the film, included for screen readers and the visually impaired.

[Sound of children playing outside.]

[Baseball bat hits baseball.]

I'm Chase Russo and I'm twelve. My favorite sport is baseball.

My dad went in to the hospital

June 26 of 2007

because he needed to get a kidney transplant.

[Coach: Let's go hits on three.]

[Team: One, two, three. Hit!]

I knew it would be a good decision to tell him because I knew it would help.

I knew it wouldn't be a burden because he innately knows the responsibilities

he has as an older sibling.

When my dad was in the hospital I helped my mom out by keeping the kids together

so she could focus on my dad.

He was my rock.

Chase was always there. He always knew to hug me.

He always knew what I was feeling no matter what.

And, and I, You know what. He's so strong.

He's always been such a strong kid

that I would really, I would go to him and we would talk.

I felt pretty sad but I also felt I had a big job to do so

I had to comfort them

and make sure everything was OK.

So far in my twelve years I've learned a lot about

good decisions and how to handle different situations

by learning from tough situations.

When he makes choices, I'm always amazed they're always the right ones

and he teaches me everyday something remarkable.

We're a different family because of this.

Like, everyone always says good things come from crazy things like that.

and something really did, something good came from this.

It's made us a stronger family.

I like to draw houses, flowers and buildings.

My name is Siearra and I'm six years old. I'll be seven.

I love taking care of my brother.

I feed him and I play with him.

and I make him fall asleep.

Searra is very special.

She is a wonderful child.

She's a great help

and I need to raise her so she can take care of herself someday.

This world is very difficult to live in

so she has to know these are things you "have to" do

versus things you ìwant toî do.

"Have to" comes first because that's responsibility.

I think family's important because

if you are nice and kind

people do things for you.

And they feel like they can trust you

and they feel happy.

[Laughter.]

Good Job!

I'm an actor, a director,

a singer.

My name is Jenna Gabriel.

I'm twenty years old and I'm the co-founder of an organization.

that works with special needs children.

[You guys are up next. Who wants to go first?]

On Saturday mornings we play baseball for two hours.

[Run, run, run, run, run!]

What it's about is making sure every kid who steps on the field

gets the chance to feel important

and that they get to have fun

and that they get to feel like they're great

at whatever it is that they are doing.

When we got to the Spring,

I made the decision that it would probably be for the interest

of the organization and the kids to forego auditioning.

So I actually didn't audition for anything this semester.

It was more important for me to be a part of this

than to continue on with acting.

Angelica and Jenna are just beautiful, exciting,

playful people

who have just moved all of us

to have this really great time together.

I hope to continue to perform,

I hope to continue to do the other things that I love,

but this makes me happy

and I feel fulfilled doing it

and I know I making other people feel the same way.

We're just dazzled by the amount of enthusiasm

of the students who are here.

It's like an incredible gift to be able to come here and have all of this

energy and acceptance of our kids.

Being responsible has to do with being aware of the decisions you are making

and then the repercussions they have on the people around you

This is probably the most important thing I've ever done

and that I feel the best on those Saturday mornings

when the game ends and I'm covered in mud and I'm saying goodbye

to a ton of kids.

[Vivian! Vivian!]

that's probably happier than I've ever been at a curtain call.

My name is Carlos Alfonso I am eighteen years old from Venezuela.

He came straight from a whole other country. He didn't know English

and within a matter of like months he learned English.

In a matter of months he learned how to excel in math,

engineering, science, social studies.

It's important for me to go to college

because I would be able to support my family economically.

It's a lot of work for my mother to have two jobs and she's doing it for us.

Carlos is very helpful.

He works with our younger group that we have and sets an example for them.

And he talks to them about what it's like to actually go to college

and how to actually be a prospective senior

to graduate with honors.

My mother's the one who first give me the opportunity to come to the United States

And since she gave me that opportunity I want to prove to her

that she did the right thing that she's doing something good

I think it's very important to me to help my family

because I have received a lot from them

and I would think I can never repay them

but I can at least try.

Film Details ///

Growing Up

Four extraordinary kids live the word ‘responsible’ in truly inspiring ways.

July 17, 2008 Comments (26)

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26 Comments

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July 23, 2008 by Ryan Littman-Quinn

This video shares inspirational stories of young people doing the right thing. It sends a wonderful message that responsibility has no age limit, which I wholeheartedly agree with. However, can we maintain this feel-good perspective on responsibility when it is applied to the other end of the spectrum- when young people instead choose to do the wrong thing? Our society says no. Young people who commit crimes are not held as RESPONSIBLE for their actions as an adult in our society. They are given lighter sentences and a chance to learn from their mistakes. Does this societal double-standard take away from the heart-warming stories in this video? Absolutely not. But it should open one's eyes to the fact that not all 'feel-good' beliefs are as absolute as they may seem when incorporated in our society.

Reply
July 25, 2008 by Pasquale Bottiglieri

In times of great stress, war for instances, it has not been uncommon, even here in the United States, for people who were very young at the time to be sent into battle. It is equally common for young people to simply choose to be responsible at a very young age. The norm is however a very different matter. What is probably more the rule than the exception is the 30 year old perpetual student still residing with their parents? I'd like to think that good example from a responsible parent will produce youngsters anxious to accept responsibility at a young age but I have to think that particular choice is based on the totality of input the child has received in their life, which brings us back to another discussion, that being informational overload. In the final analysis, I think we are all about what we experience at all stages of our life, especially as children. Does the axiom "Garbage in ... garbage out" fit here? I think the best analogy I can come up with is the semi-permeable membrane we all studied in Biology. We experience the world as it is but we let into ourselves only what we choose. The only other comment I feel a need to make on this subject relates to the needy parent and the "parentification" of a youngster by that parent for the sake of that parent thus, in the worst case, robbing the youngster of their childhood. In short, while I enjoyed the film, especially the idea of caring deeply for needy kids, I simply express the caution that this is a multi dimensional issue and needs to be considered carefully.

Reply
August 8, 2008 by Lilli

This is the easiest kind of responsibility because you have no choice and it is what you meant to do.

Reply
- August 8, 2008 by Pasquale Bottiglieri
  
  If, at any age, a person senses and believes that they are answering to the call of their unique existence, and if they derive the comfort, satisfaction and sense of completeness that belief engenders, I have to say that the age that decision is made probably has little bearing. I don't agree, at least not in our culturally diverse society, in mandating growth inhibiting role assignments at a young age, ie: selecting one child out of a family to be the parental care taker for the life of the parent, sometimes to the exclusion of marriage. If a person has choice and they knowingly choose to accept a responsibility which affects their life in some way, whether they are young or not, I think it might even be insulting to question it.
  
  Reply
August 20, 2008 by Margarita Morales

I was given the responsibility of caring for my baby sister at a very early age (8 years old) and I did what was required of me because my parents had to go to work to take care of their seven children. I was not the oldest child, but I was the one that the baby bonded with and I cared for her with great joy. A week after my 13th birthday, I made a life-altering decision: I became a Christian and with that took on the role of a youth minister. Having worked as a youth minister since I was a teenager (I am now 50 years old) I have witnessed the full spectrum of responsibility and irresponsibility. Most of the young people who demonstrated responsibility at an early age were those who learned it from their parent(s). As the years progressed, I noticed a shift in a lot of our young people -- it appeared they went from caring about others to caring only about themselves -- not all, but most. These young people in the video have renewed my hope. I have 4 grandsons living with me and am teaching them responsibility at a very early age. They must clean their room every day -- not because they want something, but because it is their responsibility to do so. The oldest one has to take the trash out every day. We've reached the point where we don't have to ask him to do it -- he automatically does it when he sees the trash bin is full. When they do ask us for something special, we sit with them and review their "account." If they have been responsible for the majority of the time, they get the privilege they ask for; if not, then they don't. Simple as that. I believe that if we want our children to be responsible, we must entrust them with responsibilities.

Reply
October 11, 2008 by someone

Wow, these children know responsibility better than most CEO's. (I did give some CEO's the benefit of the doubt here.) I don’t think it’s an age thing but more of wealth issues. The more wealth you have, the less responsibility you feel you might have. You break something no problem "hey you, here’s money fix it" to family matters where you can hire a shrink and say fix us, or even hire a lawyer and say "get me out of trouble!!" Well. CEO's are the people at the top so can it be any wonder that they possibly don’t live on the same planet as us normal people and see responsibility in a completely different way? I can also agree some people in this world weren’t raised to take responsibility for their actions ... or simply don’t care.

Reply
December 22, 2008 by Anita

After seeing this film on "Growing up”, it makes me see that as a soon to be grandparent that I have taught my children well but no matter the age how can I ask them to grow up when I just grew up. We all have to be understanding and helpful to each other.

Reply
April 8, 2009 by George Smith

If there is a responsibility issue in today's society in regards to our children, it is that they have too little responsibility, not too much. Of course, this is not true in all cases but all too often parents set pretty low standards for their children. When we were still a culture primarily based on agricultural endeavors, children had some pretty demanding responsibilities, just so the family could survive. Even today, many of the great leaders learned hard work at an early age, many on farms.

Reply
September 17, 2009 by Allesandro Forte

I find it odd how many people enjoy pontificating about what it means to serve their country, especially during a time of war, when the fact is that the most opinionated of them, the ones who enjoy hearing or reading themselves the most, are most likely the ones who ducked that very responsibility and never had the spine or the courage to take that voluntary step.

Reply
October 16, 2009 by Vic

reading what has been posted, I agree with some, disagree with most, and have no clue what the rest of you are talking about.

Reply
October 16, 2009 by Vic

You nailed it in one.

Reply
November 14, 2009 by Madison maclain Benton

This is a good ,proper film that needs to be seen.

Reply
December 8, 2009 by denzel blake heyward

is it a good name?

Reply

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About Liberty Mutual

Liberty Mutual is a provider of auto, home, and life insurance for consumers, as well as risk and disability products and services for businesses. Because responsibility is integral to who we are, we also support a range of community service programs around issues like fire safety and responsible sports. Through the Liberty Mutual Foundation, we make grants to organizations that show low-income students a path to lifelong success through education, and agencies that provide immediate basic health and human services to the needy. To learn more about us, visit us at LibertyMutualGroup.com