Bullying is common: About 20% of students ages 12-18 experience bullying nationwide.

Nationwide, 19% of students in grades 9-12 report being bullied on school property.

Places reported being bullied:

• Hallway or stairwell (43.4%)
• Classroom (42.1%)
• Cafeteria (26.8%)
• Outside on school grounds (21.9%)
• Online or text ( 15.3%)
• Bathroom or locker room(12.1%)
• Somewhere else in the school building(2.1%)

Approximately 46% of students ages 12-18 reported the bullying.

Cyberbullying same age range, 15%, estimate 14.9% of high school is Cyberbullying differs in gender. Girls have a higher rate of cyber bullying than boys because they use social media more often than boys.

Bullied- a person (s) is victimized by another using different means to harm or threaten or embarrass the person , character assassination, to be put in a category of being too weak to defend themselves, often times a well- kept secret from others.

To become a victor instead of a victim.

To be empowered, to have a voice that is not silenced.

Empowering the Bullied

• Educate themselves on national and local resources that can help.
• Express their concern, fears anxiety in a safe environment.
• Report any inappropriate behavior right at the start. Remove yourself from the incident.
• Report bullying to an adult, or a teacher if a student.
• For Adults: Implement workplace policies and procedures without retaliation regarding bullying.
• Know you have the power to make a difference.
• Know you do not deserve to be bullied.
• Do not isolate self from groups or others when the bully is nearby.

Safety measures can include steps such as: sitting near the bus driver on a school bus, taking a different route to and from school or work.

• Don’t hold in your frustration from the bullying episode, share with a trusted source.
• Log the dates and times when the bullying took place, did anyone witness the bullying?
• Don’t keep bullying a secret from your parents.
• Get emotional and mental help if needed.
• A special note to parents: Look for warning signs such as changes in behavior, change in normal routine and practices of your child. Examples: child becomes aggressive toward parents or siblings, child comes home with various items missing such as: their cell phone, laptop, gloves, shoes, and other items recently purchased. Asking for more money for school lunch. Missing homework.

Disheveled when they came home from school, a black eye, lost homework. Morning sickness, fear of going to school. Missing the school bus.

Anxiety and other emotional upsets during the week, but well on the weekends.

Bullying is widespread in USA - Increase risk for substance misuse, and academic problems, Violence later in adolescence and adulthood.

"Bullying" according to expert Dan Olweus, poisons the educational environment and affects the learning of every child."

Study by Joel Schwarz found that 97% of bullies were themselves a victim of bullying.

Bully defined: A person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable.

Verb: Seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived to be) as vulnerable.

Similar Meaning: Persecutor, oppressor, tyrant, tormentor, scourge, thug, attack dog, rebel, tough intimidator.

Stop the Bullying.

1. Embed antibullying messages in the school curriculum and in the workplace.
2. Teachers should act immediately to ensure the target or victim's safety.
3. Support the person being bullied - allow the person to regain control of his/her emotions.
4. For students, the teacher should stand close to the child being bullied.
5. State what you saw or heard - call/label it bullying.
6. Address the bully by naming “the bullying behavior” and refer to antibullying rules already in place.
7. Empower “bystanders” with appreciation or information on how to act in the future.
8. Review antibullying policies in the workplace.
9. Document the eye witness statement, or the victim's statement.
10. Impose immediate and appropriate consequences for the Bully.
11. No scolding, take a moment to educate the bully regarding his/her inappropriate behavior.
12. Do a follow up with the victim.
13. Increase supervision in the cafeteria, hallways, bathrooms, on the playground (where most bullying takes place), on the school bus.
14. Increase consequences for the Bully (these consequences should be set by schools/teachers and workplaces, reviewed annually).
15. Schools should project a clear moral standard against bullying.
16. Provide group education and training in the workplace with policies on harassment and bullying.

The Bully may use verbal insults, physical attack, contact or social media used to embarrass another person by using/ spreading rumors, playing nasty jokes, encouraging others to socially exclude someone, damage another person's social reputation or social acceptance. Can use Cyber- bullying (CB) defined as intentional and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers and other electronic devices (text messaging, websites and online platforms). CB can be overt or covert

Emotional and behavioral upsets: such as sleep pattern changes, changes in eating, frequent crying, anger, mood swings, feeling ill in the morning to face another day. Other behavior changes in children: not wanting to go to school, losing lunch money/and other personal items.

Showing physical injury, self- harm, even suicide, dropping out of school, transferring to another school or abandoning all future goals. In adults there may be a decrease in job performance to quitting their jobs.

Prevents the Bully access to harm the person being bullied.

The Bully Blocker has a strong sense of duty and responsibility, often to something greater than themselves.

The Bully Blocker meets commitments reliably, does not compromise their standards. Warm-hearted, reserved.

The Bully Blocker is like a shield in battle deflecting the enemy’s attack.

Bully Blocker: Is someone who protects you from being harmed ie.. a defender, a guard, an observant, informative and attentive.

Interrupt the bullying taking place.

1. Take action immediately when bullying is about to take place (safely)
2. Bully Blocker does not hesitate to get involved when someone is being bullied.
3. Will raise the alarm and get others in a position to intervene (ie. teacher, security, workplace management)

Empowering the Bystander

• Educate themselves and others on national and local resources that can help.
• Show that they care what happens to a person.
• Express their concern Constructively and safely intervene when they witness or hear about a person being mistreated.
• Call out inappropriate behavior right at the start, may give the bullied an opportunity to remove themselves from the incident.
• Know they have the power to make a difference.
• Know they have a responsibility to themselves and others to take action.
• They can help themselve's and others in a variety of situations.
• Their personal strength is used to help others.

Empowering the Bystander

• See something but don’t say anything.
• Too afraid to report to authority.
• Hope someone else will step up and do something.
• Sometimes a Bystander may tell others who are just as afraid as themselves.

Bystander: also known as- Onlooker, passerby, non- participant, observer, spectator, eyewitness.

About the Bystander(s) look around and they see other bystanders with no expression, so no one acts.

Bystander(s) feel they have less responsibility because there are others present who could also respond.

Why? Not sure help is needed a target may laugh or shrug it off, this is confusing for the Bystander.

May feel they don’t have the right skills to help or be judged negatively.

Bystander: Webster definition - A person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part. Does not intervene to stop the negative action taking place. In the case of bullying, this person is at the scene and sees what is taking place but chooses to ignore the bullying for fear of being harmed, targeted or experience getting bullied themselves.

Interrupt the bullying taking place to allow the person being bullied time to escape the situation

1. Bystander 3 options
• Do nothing
• Join in and make the situation worse
• Help in some way and make the situation better (positive)
2. Positive Bystander behavior:
• Direct intervention: Is when a Bystander confronts a situation (this is to address the harm doer or the person being affected).

Distraction don’t want to address a situation directly then you can try to cause a distraction that will diffuse the situation and give a moment for things to calm down. Examples: make a noise to distract the bully,ie, blast some music, or ask what time it is. That one break in the situation is enough to help the person being bullied.

Delegate: if you can’t intervene directly in something because there is a barrier that makes you uncomfortable, then enlist help. Ask friends to assist, talk to faculty, staff members or co-workers. You may need to call the Police (911). You don’t have to handle the situation alone or put yourself in harm’s way.

National Bullying Helpline: 1-800-273-8255

Stompoutbullying.org: (877) 602-8559

Empowering the Bystander

• Educate yourself on national and local resources that can help.
• Show that you care.
• Express your concern
• Constructively and safely intervene if you witness or hear about a person being mistreated.
• Call out inappropriate behavior and conversations.
• Know you have the power to make a difference.
• Know you have a responsibility to yourself and others to take action.
• You can help yourself and others in a variety of situations.
• Your personal strength can be used to help others.

Empowering the Bystander

• See something but don’t say anything.
• Too afraid to report to authority.
• Hope someone else will step up and do something.
• Sometimes a Bystander may tell others who are just as afraid as themselves.