Have You Ever Been Bullied?

How Rama & Diarmuid met

Rama Arya, founder of Elevated Life Solutions, understands bullying first hand growing up in the lowest caste of the Hindu caste system in India. He knows all too well how easy it is to undermine a vulnerable child’s self-esteem. Coming to America as a young boy he found this new free society both liberating and challenging. American culture is filled with its own unexpected biases and freedoms that Rama had to learn how to navigate. But his family’s tradition of helping others and continuing to support the very same village he was born in, revealed to him the powerful inspiration a ‘life of service’ can provide. Today, as a computer professional with his own company, Rama marveled at how the modern world, for all its progress, offers less than half the people of the world access to the internet. And less than that are able to own a computer. Wanting to make a change himself, he started his own non-profit, Elevated Life Solutions, to help get computers to families and children in need.

Diarmuid Hudner was driven by a similar sense of empathy halfway across the globe. Based in County Limerick, Ireland, he was concerned with the epidemic of cyberbullying and predatory behavior victimizing children online. When he was young he himself was a very smart and shy child, and Diarmuid understood all too well what it meant to feel unheard and to feel bullied. His life mission became wanting to empower children and end cyberbullying. But he was told that the social media platforms had no power to control it. Wanting to make a change himself, he started his own company, Cybersmarties, to protect children and families.

CyberSmarties is a safe, secure social network for school children ages seven to twelve years old. He designed the system to create language filters that prevented children from texting negative words, Positive words are suggested that the children can text instead. He barred adults from joining the network, even though it has a 24 hour staff monitoring it for safety. He added an A.I. personality that checks in with each child daily to ask how they feel. Children are supported with positive messages and confidence building videos based on their answers. These innovations eliminated cyberbullying, ended predatory behavior, and made him one of the leaders in mental health support for children for the last six years. Now with over 88,000 children within primary schools facilitated by the Department of Education, Cybersmarties is the only social network with an accolade no other social network can attest; the backing of Ireland’s national police force - the prestigious Garda National Protective Services Bureau of Ireland’s endorsement. CyberSmarties is also officially a member of the Unicef/Global Partnership to end violence against children. The amazing result: Cybersmarties has eliminated cyberbullying and predatory behavior on its platform since 2017.

Cybersmarties mission is simple: change how children use social media so that the next generation will begin the necessary evolution to make social networks become a place for people to safely learn, engage, and talk to each other from around the world.

Rama and Diarmuid met in the summer of 2020 on a zoom call as both were being courted by a cutting-edge computer company. It was in their first meeting that these two compassionate visionaries recognized their common mission to uplift people, especially children, and they realized they should work together. Rama immediately recognized the significance of Diarmuid’s innovative platform in teaching children the value of positive social engagement and its impact on the world.

So Rama and Diarmuid partnered. Today Elevated Life Solutions fundraises for Cybersmarties to make their solution available to children all over the world. Elevated Life Solutions is driven by the founding principle that we all exist equally, and equally together we move forward. No child should feel as though they are lesser than. We all have a responsibility to engage the world with kindness and respect.

In July of 2021 alone Cybersmarties signed on 100,000 new school children in India. They hope to have one million children on the platform by the end of the year.

Plans continue to broaden as Cybersmarties looks to open new platforms in Africa and the Middle East.

Elevated Life Solutions is thrilled to be spearheading this ambitious goal. Our fundraising supports CyberSmarties’ expansion, as we combine forces with them to provide this incredible platform to more children, in more countries.

We know we can achieve it - with your help.

Triumph in a Culture that Shuns Certain Children

Equally together -We Move Forward

It was at the tender age of eight that Rama Arya discovered the lesson of the Bullocks cart. Although there is nothing tender about being born into the Dalits in North-Central India. The Dalits are the lowest caste in the pervasive, yet outlawed Hindu caste system. Dubbed “untouchables”, the Dalits are relegated to a life of menial jobs; scavenging through waste, skinning animals, and cleaning streets and sewage systems. They are identified by their dress, denied access to services and better jobs, and are frequently disparaged by those in India’s upper-caste society.

As an intelligent and curious young boy, Rama struggled to understand why the people in his village were so poor. Why the caste system existed - why all were not equal.

In India, bulls have been used to pull heavy wooden carts for over 5,000 years. Rama remembers the Bullocks cart that belonged to a family friend in his small village of Mauranipur, in the Jhansi district state of Uttar Pradesh.

The skilled neighbor handled the Bullocks cart effortlessly, it looked like fun. Young Rama asked for an opportunity to drive the cart. The owner agreed. But try as he may, Rama was not able to coax the bulls forward, not even an inch. As he pleaded and prodded the team, the bulls stood staunchly together in defiance of the small stranger holding the reins. This made the neighbor laugh. It was an embarrassment for young Rama, but a teaching moment too – a gift from the universe.

Rama asked the owner why the bulls refused to carry him. The man explained that Rama was a stranger to his experienced team. For the bulls to trust Rama and choose to help him, he would have to win each of them over. He had to earn their trust, equally together.

Rama eagerly committed to connecting with the bulls; to build a relationship of support and love. It took several weeks. The boy would come every day and bring the bulls food and water. He spoke to them in a soft joyful tone, as if he were telling secrets to his best friend. The result of his dedication to the bulls was astounding. Over several weeks, the team learned to obediently respond to Rama’s gentle direction.

Desperate for Help

Barbara Berryman

Due to financial constraints that frequently plague the elderly, a spunky senior named Barbara had moved from mid-town LA to senior housing in Compton about 3 years ago. Then the pandemic hit. Her church and meditation classes shut down for a while, then moved online through Zoom. Barbara who lived alone, now struggled to maintain her connection with her friends and community through the internet. The building where she lived had only been wired by a single internet service which was too costly for her meager budget. The provider bundled it’s services, and Barabara who couldn’t pay for cable TV, she just needed a landline and wi-fi for an out-dated computer. Without internet, she had no access to the church’s zoom services and could no longer virtually attend her meditation group. Barbara kept trying to access Zoom through her cell phone but it was old and lacked bandwidth so it kept timing out while trying to connect.

In her frustration, Barbara reached out to a cell provider that had opened up across the street. They were advertising new customer specials and claimed to be affiliated with her current cell phone company. Barbara had hoped to get an updated phone with a good camera for Zoom and maybe a hotspot. The store’s representative made promises to Barbara if she purchased a new phone and changed service – including paying her current bill to T-Mobile. Not only did they take her monthly cell bill allotment (which was due the same week) they added fees they never mentioned and didn’t pay off her T-mobile account at all.

Elevated Life Solutions learned of Barbara’s hardship, and reached out to help. Rama was a friend that she had known for many years. Through ELS, he was able to provide her with an updated refurbished computer, and he even came to her house to set it up and show her how to use it.

Next ELS was able to provide Barbara with a new cell phone that came with a hotspot. She could use the hotspot to connect with her community via zoom on her new computer. Rama also ensured Barbara that he would be able to provide her with phone service for the new phone that would continue at a lower rate to accommodate her limited budget. Barbara was overjoyed by the love and support provided by Rama through Elevated Life Solutions.

From Barbara - “When Rama says that he really cares about people - he really does.” Lot’s of people say that, but they don’t act on it. I’ve seen him do so many charitable things.” She went on to share that years ago when they first met, Rama had a meditation group. At the end of meditation, Rama would cook for the whole group! He made lots of wonderful Indian dishes.