October is National Bullying Prevention Month, sponsored since 2006 by the National Bullying Prevention Center. The National Bullying Prevention Center was founded by the PACER (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) Center, whose mission is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents.
There is no shortage of media coverage that addresses bullying behaviors, especially related to schools. By simply searching the term “bullying” on the internet today, you’ll see an astounding number of search results. I’ve spent a lot of time this year trying to sort through this information, as well as information from publications and books, to find more information about “best practices” in the areas of bullying prevention and intervention.
With so much information out there, it can be a challenge to find the sources that reflect best practice. The resources I’ve gathered below address bullying with excellent suggestions for prevention and intervention:
National Education Association
National Bullying Prevention Center
Anti-Bullying Week in the United Kingdom, November 14-25, 2011
Bullying Awareness Week in Canada, November 13-19, 2011
As a reminder, CPI has introduced a new formal refresher option for Certified Instructors this year called Bullying Behaviors: Applying CPI’s Crisis Development ModelSM. This option helps Certified Instructors facilitate discussions around this issue and begin to develop solutions. Learn more.
National Bullying Prevention Month provides an opportunity for you to share your plans to recognize and share current strategies for minimizing and preventing bullying. It’s time to take action. What are you, your organization, or your community currently doing (or done) to minimize and or prevent bullying behaviors? How are you involving families or guardians? Let’s share the most concrete practical strategies possible.
I don’t directly work with youth in my role at CPI, nor do I have my own children. But my siblings and colleagues have kids and I will be sharing what I have been learning with them. Change starts on an individual level. What is one thing you can do today? Post your ideas and stories below!