Cyberbullying protection, bullying and teen suicide, model school intervention programs, and community anti-bullying initiatives are among the issues that will be addressed in Auburn University’s sixth international Anti-Bullying Summit.
The Summit, hosted by Auburn University’s Truman Pierce Institute and Office of Professional and Continuing Education will take place June 23-24 at the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center in Peachtree City.
Keynote presenters include Dr. Sameer Hinduja, Judge Steven Teske, Dr. Rebecca Ang, and Ms. Trish Prabhu. The Summit will also offer over 30 breakout sessions.
Dr. Hinduja is a professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. He is recognized internationally for his groundbreaking work on the subjects of cyberbullying and safe social networking. He has been featured on Anderson Cooper 360 and NPR. His articles have been cited extensively in academic publications, and his research has been discussed or referenced in over 800 online news articles (including CNN, New York Times, Washington Times, Forbes, Yahoo News, USA Today, US News and World Report, and Chronicle of Higher Education).
Judge Teske’s topic will be “Smart on Bullying: Strategic Tolerance, Not Zero Tolerance.” In 2003, under Judge Teske’s leadership, Clayton County was the first community to create a school-justice partnership to eliminate the negative impact of zero tolerance policies, which increased dropout rates that produced higher juvenile and adult crimes. Today his model has been replicated in many jurisdictions nationwide. Since its inception, graduation rates have steadily increased and juvenile and adult crimes rates have dramatically decreased. The end of zero tolerance increases the likelihood of identifying bullies early and intervene with evidence based strategies that reduces campus victimization.
Dr. Ang is associate professor and head of the Psychological Studies Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Dr. Ang’s research and professional interests include developmental child psychopathology, and in particular antisocial, aggressive and bullying behavior, and related prevention and intervention work. She is also interested in children’s relationships with their parents and teachers, and the impact these relationships have on children’s adjustment and functioning.
Prabhu is a 15-year-old high school student, entrepreneur and inventor of ReThink – a non-intrusive patented software product that stops cyberbullying before the bullying occurs. Trisha has led sessions at global platforms such as TEDxTeen (London), TEDxGateway (Mumbai), White House Science Fair (Washington D.C.), La Ciudad De Las Ideas (Puebla, Mexico), Aspen Ideas festival (Aspen, CO). She was awarded a Daily Points of Light award for extraordinary volunteering from President George H W Bush’s foundation. Trisha was selected as a Global Finalist at the world-wide Google Science Fair competition 2014 for her ReThink product.
In addition, NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green will present a workshop as part of the Strong Youth, Strong Communities initiative sponsored by Centene and Cenpatico. Strong Youth, Strong Community focuses on raising youth’s awareness of the importance of active thinking, sound judgment, and creating and enacting a healthy “living constitution” for success in life. A youth track will be offered especially for teen attendees June 23.
Hero Awards will be presented to individuals and community groups who have taken proactive measures to eliminate bullying in their schools and communities. A variety of educational resource vendors that focus on bullying prevention products will also be onsite.
The Summit is open to anyone, but registration is required. For more information or to register for the Anti-Bullying Summit, visit www.auburn.edu/antibullying or contact Ben Pierce (piercbs@auburn.edu or 334-844-5100).
