National Bullying Prevention Month 2012

(Google Image) 

By Terry Orr

The End of Bullying Begins with Me: that’s the message during National Bullying Prevention Month in October.  It’s a time when communities can unite nationwide to raise awareness for bullying prevention through events, activities, outreach and education.

Bullying can be defined many ways, but most see agree that bullying has occurred when:

• The behavior hurts another person in a physical or emotional manner;
• The harmful actions are willful and intentional; and
• The targets of bullying have trouble ending the behavior and defending themselves. (Source: Common Ground)

(Google Image) 

We have all seen and all too often on the wrong end of a bully – and quite frankly it is not any fun and downright dangerous at times.  My experience happen in high school at the hands of twin brothers – took almost a year to put an end to that. No one should have to endure that sort of treatment.

(Google Image) 

Did you know that more than 16,000 students in the USA stay home each day because they're scared of being bullied? This October PACER (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) draws attention to the problem of bullying that affects many disabled children and young adults. By drawing attention the organization hopes to raise awareness to the fact that more needs to be done to tackle the issue. (Source: National Awareness Days).

The Washington Post has a good article by Lamar Tyler who finds out one of his children has become a bully.  It is an interesting read – please click on the link below to read the full article.

(Google Image) 

Intimidation is another form of bullying and there seems to have at least one person who thrives on intimidating others in every organization and dealing with them is tricky at best.  Now I personally do not react well to either – and the last time I encountered this situation - it resulted in my early departure of the project that was ending.  In the business world – sometimes stuff happens and really very little one can do about it -  in my case, just moved on to something new to work.  But remember, there are resources available to help deal with bullying and intimidation.

References and Links:

• http://commongroundhelps.org/?p=3810  
• http://www.stopbullying.gov/blog/?p=358
• http://www.nctsn.org/resources/public-awareness/bullying-prevention-awareness-month
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/national-bullying-prevention-month-when-your-child-is-a-bully/2012/10/01/8cd72c9a-0bdb-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_blog.html#
• http://www.national-awareness-days.com/national-bullying-prevention-month.html

National Stop Bullying Day

(Google Image) 

By Akindman,

On Wednesday, February 9, our country marks National Stop Bullying Day. While this isn’t a day most of us commemorate each year, National Stop Bullying Day offers an opportunity for us to consider the children in our lives and begin a community-wide conversation about bullying. This is a conversation that too few adults are having today, but it is an important one.

The concept of bullying certainly isn’t new, but it is a problem that has become increasingly dangerous. As new technologies emerge, the way bullies target their victims continues to evolve. A taunt once hurled on a schoolyard and forgotten in days has become pervasive verbal abuse that is cached online forever. Online social networking sites, blogs and smart phones enable bullies to extend their impact on victims, allowing for around-the-clock harassment. When bullies target victims online or through text messages, it is often difficult for victims to escape and even harder for parents and school officials to act on the violence or slander that occurs.

(Google Image)

Research shows that 42 percent of children have been bullied online, and of this group of victims, one in four has experienced this kind of bullying more than once. It is important for children, parents, teachers and community leaders to discuss what can be done to stop this growing epidemic. Here are a few guidelines and suggestions to help parents protect their children.

Report bullying behaviors to appropriate officials.

Resist confronting the bully or the bully’s parents. Instead, report any unlawful or harassing behaviors to law enforcement. If incidents happen at school, report them to school officials. If your child receives cruel texts, don’t respond. Instead, make copies of them. This evidence may be useful to report to school officials or law enforcement.

(Google Image)

Educate kids about bullying at an early age.

Teach them what bullying means, what to expect as they get older, and ask them to promise to talk to you if someone ever makes them feel bad about themselves. Additionally, talk to your kids about social pressures that could prompt them to bully others, and teach them why bullying is wrong. Look for signs of anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts. Caring conversations with your child can impact their emotional health.

Approximately 864,000 teens stay home from school one day each month because they fear for their safety. The self-esteem-building nonprofit Hey UGLY (Unique Gifted Lovable You) has designated the second Wednesday of February (and the week it falls in) as a day and week for schools across America to conduct Stop Bullying classroom activities and school assembly presentations on how to eradicate bullying from schools and neighborhoods

What to Do When Someone is Being Bullied

Take a stand and do not join in. Make it clear that you do not support what is going on.

Do not watch someone being bullied. If you feel safe, tell the person to stop. If you do not feel safe saying something, walk away and get others to do the same. If you walk away and do not join in, you have taken their audience and power away.

Support the person being bullied. Tell them that you are there to help. Offer to either go with them to report the bullying or report it for them.

Talk to an adult you trust. Talking to someone could help you figure out the best ways to deal with the problem. Reach out to a parent, teacher or another adult that you trust to discuss the problem, especially if you feel like the person may be at risk of serious harm to themselves or others.

(Google Image)

Work to Prevent Bullying

Bullying is less likely to occur when there are strong messages against it. Work with your school, community, or other groups to create and support these messages:

Get involved with your school and community to find ways to prevent bullying.

Create an assembly, performance, or event to spread the message.

Be a leader and teach younger kids that bullying is not okay and that they can stop bullying before it begins.