Anti-bullying
ABC (Anti-Bullying Committee)
The purpose of this committee is to gather information and resources that will enable us to increase awareness, provide education and referrals to services.
Bullying: "Bullying is when a person or group uses their power to hurt or control another person. Bullying can be...
- Physical - hitting, kicking, pushing, shoving or making someone do something they do not want to do.
- Verbal - calling someone names, saying or writing mean things, spreading rumours or threatening someone.
- Psychological - making someone feel unsafe, uncomfortable or scared, leaving them out of activities, ignoring them or making them feel invisible."
(definition derived from http://www.bullying.org)
In the Spring of 2004, the ABC surveyed 1, 068 students from ECS to Grade 9 to learn more about their knowledge of bullying and bullying issues. Here are the results:
When asked...
"...have you ever been bullied or seen bullying?"
82.5% said YES and 17.4% said NO.
"...do you ever stop doing fun things because you think that you may get bullied?"
24.5% said YES and 75.4% said NO.
"...are you afraid to go to school because you think that you may get bullied?"
17.4% said YES and 82.3% said NO.
"...are you afraid of telling an adult about bullying because it may make things worse for yourself or others?"
31% said YES and 69% said NO.
Summary
For every child that goes to school, approximately
- 4 out of 5 either experience or witness bullying
- 1 out of 4 stop having fun because of bullying
- 1 out of 5 is afraid to go to school because of bullying
- 1 out of 3 is afraid to tell an adult about bullying experiences because of their belief that telling will make things worse for him/her or others.
What is cyberbullying?
"Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging (IM), defamatory personal Web sites, and defamatory online personal polling Web sites, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others."
- Bill Belsey
How is cyberbullying different from other forms of bullying?
Cyberbullying, like other forms of bullying, is about human relationships, power and control. Those who bully others are trying to establish power and control over others that they perceive to be "weaker" than them. Those who bully want to make victims feel that there is something wrong with them, but victims should know that there is NOTHING wrong with THEM. It is THE BULLIES who have the real problems.
Community Anti-Bullying Project Has New Resources!!!
Attention parents, educators and kids!!! Your Community Anti-Bullying Project is in the process of acquiring reading materials and educational films to help you understand and contend with issues such as peer pressure, bullying, adolescence, subjects pertaining to adolescent boys and girls as well as family violence. These books are available to be lent out to all those interested free-of-charge. Some of the exciting titles include:
- Odd Girl Out & Odd Girl Speaks Out
- Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: The Real Deal
- Queen Bees & Wannabes
- Girl Wars
- Years of Rage
- Bullied to Death DVD
- It's A Girls World DVD
And so much more!! For further details please contact your Community Anti-Bullying Project Coordinator (Cindi) at (403) 936-3676.
