To many adults it is a relatively harmless form of acting out on the part of young children and teenagers that is rooted in a real or perceived difference or in some form of dislike or even jealousy. But to those subjected to the many forms of bullying, it is a verbal or physical display that can have lasting effects. To address bullying and its consequences, an anti-bullying workshop geared to the parents of elementary and middle school children and with information to benefit students and parents will be held at 7:30 p.m. on May 20 at Sams Auditorium in Fayetteville.
“Often people dismiss bullying among kids as a normal part of growing up. But bullying is harmful. It can lead children and teenagers to feel tense and afraid. It may lead them to avoid school. In severe cases, teens who are bullied may feel they need to take drastic measures or react violently. Others even consider suicide. For some, the effects of bullying last a lifetime,” according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The workshop will be a collaborative effort by Times Well Spent, Inc., Fayette County schools, local law enforcement and the Association of Village PRIDE, Inc.
The workshop is an opportunity to gain insight into the world of bullying and will focus on helping participants become better informed and better equipped to assess, manage and respond to bullying behaviors and situations, said workshop organizer Pamela Reid.
Reid said the focus will be on prevention and how to decrease bully/victim behavior at home and at school. The rise of the Internet has opened up new doors for those who wish to bully other children. Chat rooms, social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, email, instant messaging and other online tools have all helped create the cyber bullying epidemic.
Some bullying statistics parents need to be aware of include:
-77 percent of kids are bullied mentally, verbally and physically.
-Only 10 percent of kids tell their parents that they have been bullied.
-Each day 160,000 students miss school for fear of being bullied.
-Playground school bullying statistics show that every 7 minutes a child is bullied. Adult intervene 4 percent of the time, peers intervene 11 percent of the time, while there is no intervention 85 percent of the time.
-33 percent of students report being bullied at least once a month.
-6 out of 10 students say they witness someone being bullied daily.
-3.2 million students in 6th-10th grade say they are a victim of bullying each day.
A donation amount for the event is $5 with the proceeds going to the Promise Place domestic violence program.
