BULLYING

This video has been described as the most powerful anti-bullying video ever made. At the end, a message flashes across the screen in French. Roughly, it translates to "A day at work does not look like this. And a day at school?"

Bullying is repeated aggressive and unwanted behavior by an individual or group that can cause harm to the victim and involves an imbalance of power.

Three Types of Bullying:

1. Verbal Bullying: Saying or writing mean

things in order to hurt or embarrass another.

This includes name-calling, teasing, and taunting.
Cyber-bullying is a form of verbal bullying.

2. Physical Bullying: Purposely hurting

someone's body or belongings.

This includes hitting, kicking, pushing, shoving, and breaking someone's things.

3. Social/Relational Aggression: Trying to hurt

someone's reputation, relationships or social

standing.

This includes spreading rumors, purposely embarrassing someone, excluding someone, and gaining one's trust only to use it against him/her.

Bullying and Suicide

Over the last 30 years, suicide rates of 10-14 year olds have increased over 50%.

If you are feeling as if you want to harm yourself, there is help available to you.

Please call Tapline at 1-800-222-9016.

What can parents do?

Take bullying seriously - If your child comes to you for help with bullying take it seriously, if you do not they may not come to you again.
Help kids understand bullying - Teach kids what bullying is and that it is unacceptable.
Talk to your kids often - Learn about their friends, ask about school, and support them.
Model how to treat others - Do not bully others in front of your kids.
Stop bullying as soon as you see it - Stop bullying as soon as you become aware of it even if your child is the bully.

Who’s involved in bullying?

1. The Target: The individual being bullied.

2. The Bystander: The individual who witnesses

the bullying. (May or may not be friends

with the target or the bully.)

3. The Bully: The individual trying to hurt,

embarrass, or control others.

Why do bullies bully?

People bully for many different reasons. Some of the most common reasons students say they have bullied others kids are:

They want to feel important.
They want to be liked, cool or fit in.
They are copying what they have seen other people do.
They have been bullied themselves.
They think they are better or stronger than the kid they are bullying.

*It does not matter the reason someone has for bullying. There is never a good excuse to bully another person.

What can you do if you are being bullied?

Ignore the bully/Walk away - Bullies like the attention they get. By ignoring them, they do not get this attention and may stop.
Talk to the Bully - Tell the bully you do not like what they are doing and calmly tell them to stop.
Talk to an adult you trust - They can help you stop the bullying and even just be there to listen.
Get together with a group - Bullies are less likely to bully kids if they are with a group. Find kids who will support you if the bully does strike.

Bystanders can help too!

Talk to the bully - Tell the bully that you don’t agree with what they are doing, that it’s not cool and that they should stop.
Tell an adult - Talk to an adult at home or at school that can get help for the student being bullied.
Be a friend - Let the student being bullied know that you are there for them. Sometimes those who are bullied need to know that others care!

Additional Resources about Bullying