DAD'S A BULLY...MOM'S A BULLY, IT'S A WAY OF LIFE.
HOME, A VIOLENT PLACE.
BULLYING MAKES YOU STRONGER.
STRONG WORDS...
AND EVEN STRONGER ACTIONS...ALL PLAYED
OUT BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS PERFORMING IN FRONT OF
WIDE-EYED MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS...
THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, THROUGH THEIR ACTING,
WANT THE YOUNGER STUDENTS TO KNOW THEY UNDERSTAND BULLYING
IS A PROBLEM.
WHAT A LOSER, SHE PROBABLY SHOPS AT KMART;
I THINK MY MOM WORE THOSE PANTS IN 1980";
DID YOU TAKE A SHOWER THIS MORNING?
DID YOU SEE HER SHIRT?
WHAT IS SHE THINKING...
SHE'S SO WEIRD...
DOES SHE LOOK IN THE MIRROR WHEN SHE GETSUP IN THE MORNING?
SHE IS SO WEIRD...
UNBELIEVABLE;
DOES SHE NOT REALIZE PEOPLE DON'T LIKE HER?
THE HIGH SCHOOL ACTORS...
AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AUDIENCE MEMBERS...
ARE ALL MEMBERS OF SADD...
STUDENTS AGAINST DESTRUCTIVE DECISIONS.
STOP IT!
MORE AND MORE YOUTH ARE REALIZING THE POWER THEY HAVE...
TO INFLUENCE THE BEHAVIOR OF THEIR PEERS...
AND THOSE WHO ARE EVEN YOUNGER...
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT
COMES TO THE ISSUE OF BULLYING.
SEVENTEEN ORGANIZATIONS WITH A MISSION TO ASSIST YOUTH
SIGNED ON TO HELP
WITH THE NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION CAMPAIGN...
A CAMPAIGN FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, HEALTH RESOURCES
AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION.
THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE CHAPTERS,
AFFILIATES OR CLUBHOUSES IN COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTRY.
ACCORDING TO EXPERTS, BULLYING IS AGGRESSIVE
BEHAVIOR THAT INVOLVES AN IMBALANCE OF POWER
OR STRENGTH.
TYPICALLY, IT IS REPEATED TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
IT MAY INVOLVE HITTING OR KICKING,
TEASING OR TAUNTING-OR IT MAY INVOLVE INDIRECT ACTIONS SUCH
AS MANIPULATING FRIENDSHIPS OR PURPOSELY EXCLUDING OTHER
CHILDREN FROM ACTIVITIES.
ACCORDING TO RESEARCH PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL OF
THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION,
APPROXIMATELY 30 PERCENT OF ALL YOUTH IN GRADES 6 THROUGH
10 HAVE BEEN BULLIED OR HAVE BULLIED OTHER CHILDREN WITH
SOME FREQUENCY WITHIN A SCHOOL TERM.
DID ANY OF YOU GUYS FEEL GOOD WHEN YOU WERE BULLYING
PAIGE OR KRISTA?
STUDENTS TEND TO RESPOND TO PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE THEMSELVES-
WITHIN SAME AGE CATEGORY-
THEY LISTEN TO THEM MORE.
THEY'RE ABLE TO RELATE TO THEM MORE.
AS OPPOSED TO AN OLDER PERSON.
SO I WOULD THINK FROM THEM THEY WOULD LISTEN
AND MAYBE TAKE BACK SOME OF THE MESSAGES TO FRIENDS.
AND USE SOME OF THE MESSAGES
IN THEIR OWN LIFE SITUATIONS AS WELL.
THOSE WHO WORK WITHIN YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS RECOGNIZE THE
PROBLEM OF BULLYING AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FROM THEIR
FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCES WITH YOUTH.
WE BELIEVE IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT NOT ONLY FOR ADULTS
TO EQUIP CHILDREN, BUT FOR CHILDREN
AND YOUTH TO FIND WAYS IN WHICH
THEY CAN HELP EACH OTHER.
JOHN ROSSIACK IS THE DIRECTOR OF INITIATIVES FOR CHILDREN
AND YOUTH AT THE NATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL.
THEY EXPANDED THEIR PROGRAMMING TO INCLUDE
BULLYING UNDER THEIR MCGRUFF SERIES...
THEIR WELL-KNOWN CRIME DOG.
WE WERE ANALYZING THE MAIL THAT WE GOT FROM CHILDREN,
THE SNAIL MAIL BACK THEN, NOT EMAIL AND
WE REALIZED THAT WE GOT MORE MAIL FROM CHILDREN ABOUT THE
BULLYING ISSUE THAN ON ANY OTHER ISSUE.
AND THAT REALLY WAS OUR EARLY WARNING SYSTEM THAT WE NEED
TO DEAL WITH THE BULLYING ISSUE.
IT'S OUT THERE, KIDS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IT AND WE
NEED TO ADDRESS IT.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW IS THIS
WHOLE NOTION OF TRYING TO SHOW THE POWER
OF POSITIVE FRIENDSHIP.
HOW FRIENDS CAN HELP SOMEBODY ELSE OUT WHO MAY BE BULLIED.
AND THAT'S A REAL IMPORTANT LIFE SKILL -
TO BE ABLE TO
HELP A FRIEND AND, SOMETIMES, IT MAY BE THE THING THAT CAN
HELP SOMEBODY ELSE .
RECENTLY, THE GIRLS SCOUTS SURVEYED MORE THAN 2000
GIRLS, BETWEEN THE AGES OF 4 AND 17 TO FIND OUT HOW THEY
DEFINE SAFETY AND WHAT ARE CONSIDERED SAFE
OR UNSAFE SITUATIONS.
EMOTIONAL SAFETY WAS FOUND TO BE AS IMPORTANT A CONCERN AS
PHYSICAL SAFETY.
THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN FOR PRETEEN GIRLS WAS BEING
TEASED OR MADE FUN OF.
BRIENNA FLORES-KEOWN IS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL
BULLYING PREVENTION CAMPAIGN YOUTH EXPERT PANEL....AND A
LEADER IN UNITY, THE UNITED NATIONAL INDIAN TRIBAL YOUTH
ORGANIZATION.
BRIENNA SAYS THE TRAINING AND SKILLS SHE HAS LEARNED
WHILE WORKING ON THIS CAMPAIGN ARE VERY VALUABLE.
I'M IN TRIBAL YOUTH IMAGES COUNCIL AND EVERY TIME I HAVE
BEEN TO AN ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN I COME
BACK AND TELL THEM
AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT BULLYING
AND I SHARE EVERYTHING WE TALKED ABOUT IN CIRCLES
AND THEY LEARN FROM IT.
AND WE HOLD LEADERSHIP TRAININGS FOR YOUTH,
HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL AND WE TELL THEM ABOUT IT...
IT'S HARD TO HAVE TOO MUCH SENSITIVITY TO THESE ISSUES.
THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING MORE TO SAY ABOUT IT.
PENNY WELLS, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STUDENTS AGAINST
DESTRUCTIVE DECISIONS, SAYS YOUTH LEADERS AND ADULT
VOLUNTEERS ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IDENTIFY BULLYING AND
INFORM YOUTH ABOUT ITS CONSEQUENCES.
IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, BULLYING IS A VERY REAL ISSUE AND SO
CHAPTERS WOULD INVENT THESE PROGRAMS THEMSELVES,
THEY WOULD GO WHERE THE NEED WAS
AND SPEAK
TO MIDDLE SCHOOL WHAT WAS REALLY HAPPENING
IN THEIR SCHOOLS.
I WAS BULLIED BECAUSE I WAS NEVER GOOD AT SPORTS SO I
ALWAYS PICKED LAST OR NOT PICKED AT ALL...
SO INSTEAD I REALIZED THAT MIGHT NOT BE MY STRENGTH
SO I WENT MORE IN A DIFFERENT FIELD WHERE I
WENT INTO THEATER AND STUFF LIKE THAT DIFFERENT THINGS
FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
I REACTED IN A WORST WAY.
I REACTED BY ACTING THE WAY PEOPLE ACTED TOWARD ME LIKE
THEY CALLED ME NICKNAMES SO I STARTED CALLING THEM BY
NICKNAMES, BUT NOW I REALIZE YOU NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE
AND EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS.
YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS CAN BE PART OF THE ANSWER WHEN
LOOKING FOR BULLYING PREVENTION SOLUTIONS.
YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS PLAY A BIG ROLE IN GETTING
MESSAGES TO TEENS AND PRE TEENS.
YOUNGER KIDS LOOK UP TO AND LISTEN TO OLDER KIDS.
ORGANIZATIONS WHO WANT TO REACH YOUTH WITH CERTAIN ISSUES
ON HEALTH AND SAFETY MESSAGES
SHOULD REACH OUT AND INVOLVE THEM IN
PROGRAM/PROJECT PLANNING.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR YOUTH SAFETY (NOYS)
IS A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THIS.
IT GIVES TEENS A REAL VOICE!