SAFETY FROM BULLYING

BULLYING IS A GREAT DEAL

Bullying is a big problem that affects lots of kids. Three-quarters of all kids say they have been bullied or teased. Being bullied can make kids feel really bad. The stress of dealing with bullies can make kids feel sick.

Bullies  often  pick  on  someone  they  think  they  can  have  power  over. They  might  pick  on kids who  get  upset  easily  or  who  have  trouble sticking  up  for  themselves.  Getting  a  big reaction  out  of  someone  can  make  bullies  feel  like  they  have  the  power  they  want. Sometimes  bullies  pick  on  someone  who  is  smarter  than  they  are  or  different   from   them  in  some way.  Sometimes  bullies  just  pick  on  a  kid  for  no  reason  at  all.




STEPS ARE LISTED SOME OF THE BULLYING PREVENTION BELOW :

Bully-Proofing Your School (BPYS)

Developed in 1994 by several educators in the Cherry Creek School District of Colorado, the BPYS program offers a systemic approach for the entire school to work together to reduce bullying problems. The program seeks to isolate and alter the environmental factors in schools that allow bullying to occur. To accomplish this, BPYS encourages elementary and middle school students to care about the safety of their school and as a result, participate in the establishment and maintenance of a safe school environment for everyone. 

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is a comprehensive, school-wide program designed for use in elementary, middle, or junior high schools. It was developed in Colorado in 1993 by Dan Olweus, a leader in research and intervention work in the area of bullying and victimization problems among school children and youth. As a Blueprints Model Program⁶ , the Olweus Program has been evaluated several times and has been implemented in more than one dozen countries at the school-wide, classroom and individual levels. It includes activities such as an assessment of the nature and prevalence of bullying, the formation of a Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee to coordinate all aspects of the school’s program, increased supervision of students at the known “hot spots” for bullying, the establishment and enforcement of class rules against bullying, and interventions with children identified as bullies and victims.  

The Fourth R curriculum

Preliminary results indicate that students who had participated in the Fourth R program were more than twice as likely to use negotiation when faced with pressure tactics to engage in high risk behaviors than students who had not participated in the program (Strategies for Healthy Young Relationships, 2006). These findings suggest that the program is effective in preventing or reducing bullying behavior by providing potential bullies and victims with the appropriate techniques to reduce their involvement in such high risk behaviours. The Fourth R curriculum has been recommended by Curriculum Services Canada to support the Ontario Curriculum in Grade 9 and 10 Health and Physical Education.

Together We Light the Way (TWLTW)

TWLTW is a comprehensive program that aims to create safe and caring learning communities by bringing together municipal officials, business leaders, and members of community groups to work in partnership with the school staff, students, and parents. The project is focused on increasing the eight protective factors for preventing bullying behaviour.