Bullying: What’s New and What To Do

Bullying: What’s New and What To Do
National Crime Prevention Council 2006 Welcome all participants to the presentation. Introduce yourself and share your background in working with child safety issues. Mention that the National Crime Prevention Council in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance is the creator of this PowerPoint. Explain that the presentation you are going to give will introduce the participants to bullying and give them some tips for managing bullying in their communities. Refer participants to NCPC’s two websites, (for children) and

National Crime Prevention Council
Objectives To identify and understand Various bullying behaviors The scope of the bullying problem Who bullies The warning signs that a child is being bullied Strategies children can use to deal with bullying Steps adults can take to address bullying National Crime Prevention Council

QUIZ Create a handout of the quiz below and allow a few minutes for the participants to complete it. When they have done so, read through each statement and ask them to call out the answer. Then have them set aside the quiz and explain to them that you will discuss the answers at the end of the presentation. Hand Out Quiz All questions require true/false answers. Four out of ten American teens witness bullying in school at least once a week. Bullies are always outgoing, mean, and aggressive. Individuals who have been bullied are not likely to bully others. High school students are more likely to bully than elementary or middle school students. All bullies have feelings of inferiority and insecurity. Being bullied can lead to depression or threatened or attempted suicide. Lack of parental supervision can increase the risk of being bullied. There are no clear signs that a child is being bullied. To reduce bully-victim problems, all you need to do is get the two students to work it out themselves. Peers are almost always present when bullying occurs. When present, peers usually intervene in bullying incidents. Social aggression does not actually cause much harm to the victim. Peer intervention to stop bullying is not effective. Girl bullies often bully their friends as well as unpopular girls. There are no good bully prevention programs. National Crime Prevention Council

What is bullying? Ask the participants, “What do you think of when I say ‘bullying’?” Write their responses on a flipchart. Tell them that bullying is an imbalance of power [characterized by] repeated and systematic harassment and attacks on others perpetrated by individuals or groups. Source: Health Resources and Services Administration (HSRA), National Bullying Campaign, 2004 National Crime Prevention Council

Bullying is… An imbalance of power Repeated and systematic harassment and attacks on others Perpetrated by individuals or groups Emphasize that the element of bullying that makes it different from other forms of conflict is the imbalance of power. In a conflict between two individuals of equal power, each has the ability to offer solutions and compromise to resolve the conflict. In this case, adults can tell children to try to resolve the conflict on their own or to use peer mediation programs to address the issue. In bullying situations, the imbalance of power between the bully and the victim prevents these individuals from resolving the conflict on their own. Children who are bullied need adults to step in to address the situation. Source: Health Resources and Services Administration National Bullying Campaign, 2004 National Crime Prevention Council

Bullying Can Take Many Forms
Physical violence Verbal taunts, name-calling, and put-downs Threats and intimidation Extortion or stealing money and/or possessions Spreading rumors Harassment via technology ( , text messaging, etc.) Tell the participants that bullying can take many forms, as described on the slide. Source: London Family Court Clinic, London, Ontario, Canada National Crime Prevention Council

Cyberbullying is harassment and bullying that takes place online or through other mobile devices Example include Spreading rumors about someone through instant messaging Threatening someone on a web log (blog) Creating hurtful websites against someone National Crime Prevention Council

Cyberbullying A Recent Survey of Teens Revealed
Cyberbullying was experienced at least one time by 43% of teens, aged 13 to 17. Teens report that in 77% of the cases the cyberbully is someone they know. Girls claim to have been cyberbullied more than boys – 51% to 37%. NCPC Cyberbullying Research Report, 2006 A survey conducted by NCPC in Feb 2006 of a nationally representative sample of 824 middle and high school students aged 13 through 17 participated in an online survey. National Crime Prevention Council

Who bullies? Who is bullied?
Demographic characteristics Personal attitudes/behaviors Attitudes toward others Who bullies? Who is bullied? Share the characteristics below of children and youth who bully. Tell the group that boys and girls sometimes bully in different ways. Boys are more likely to bully physically, using intimidation, extortion, physical attacks, or verbal attacks. Girls are more likely to bully socially, using exclusion, rumors, manipulation, and embarrassment. Tell participants that it is important to look out for social bullying because it is not as evident as physical bullying. While it is easy to spot a child with a bruise or torn jacket, it is less easy to spot the child who is the victim of a rumor. In order to protect both boys and girls from the effects of bullying, adults must be aware of the variety of bullying behaviors. National Crime Prevention Council

Demographic Characteristics
Children who bully Can come from any economic, cultural, or religious background Are often in late elementary or middle school Highlight the characteristics common to children and youth who are bullied. They often stand out as different in some way due to their appearance (weight, size, clothes, disability), sexual orientation, intellect, socio-economic background, or cultural or religious background. National Crime Prevention Council

Personal Attitudes/Behaviors
Children who bully Want power Have a positive attitude toward violence Have quick tempers Have difficulty conforming to rules Gain satisfaction from inflicting injury and perceive “rewards” (prestige, material goods) from their behavior Have positive self images National Crime Prevention Council

Children Who Bully Lack empathy Are concerned with their own desires rather than those of others Find it difficult to see things from someone else’s perspective Are willing to use others to get what they want National Crime Prevention Council

Common Characteristics Among Youth Who Are Bullied
These children often stand out as different in some way because of - Appearance - Sexual orientation - Intellect - Socio-economic background - Cultural or religious background National Crime Prevention Council

Common Characteristics Among Youth Who Are Bullied (cont.)
Boys and girls are bullied in different ways - Boys are more likely to be bullied physically. - Girls are more likely to be bullied socially. National Crime Prevention Council

How widespread is bullying?
A national study of 15,600 students in grades 6-10 found 19% reported bullying others “sometimes” or more often 16% reported being bullied “sometimes” or more often 6.3% reported bullying and being bullied Share the statistics on the slide to give participants a sense of the extent of bullying. A study of students in grades 4 to 6 found that 23 percent of the students had been bullied “several times or more” (Melton, 1999). To help put this in perspective, remind participants that 23 percent is nearly one in four young people. Ask them to think about the names of four young people that they know and imagine that one of those young people is a victim of bullying. Source: Nansel et al., 2001 National Crime Prevention Council

The Negative Impacts of Witnessing Bullying
More than 50% of teens (ages 12 to 17) witness at least one bullying or taunting incident in school each week (NCPC, 2005). Students in grades 7 to 12 say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings; 86% said, “other kids picking on them, making fun of them, or bullying them” can cause teenagers to turn to lethal violence in schools (Cerio, 2001). Emphasize that although most students do not bully others and are not bullied themselves, children and youth often witness bullying. Witnessing bullying has a negative impact on children and youth. Children and youth may fear that they will be the next target of bullying. Youth also see a link between bullying and deadly school violence. If any participant asks if bullying is more common now than in the past, explain that no one really knows. Bullying has traditionally been thought of as a normal part of childhood; only recently has it come to be viewed as a serious problem. The first studies of bullying were conducted by Dan Olweus (Ol-vay-us) in Norway in the 1980s. There are no studies examining bullying from before that time to offer a comparison that would be useful today. National Crime Prevention Council

Signs That a Child is Being Bullied
Physical Emotional Behavioral/social Academic Tell the group that when children are bullied, they don’t often tell an adult right away. The child who has been bullied may be embarrassed, or they may think an adult cannot help, or they may fear retaliation from the child or children doing the bullying. However, even if a child does not tell an adult about a bullying problem, there are signs that a child is being bullied. The most important thing adults can do is recognize and act to prevent bullying. National Crime Prevention Council

Physical Signs Cuts, bruises, scratches Headaches, stomachaches Damaged possessions “Missing” possessions that need to be replaced National Crime Prevention Council

Emotional Signs Withdrawal and/or shyness Anxiety Depression Aggression National Crime Prevention Council

Behavioral/Social Signs
Changes in eating or sleeping habits (e.g., nightmares) No longer wanting to participate in activities once enjoyed Beginning to bully siblings or mistreat family pets Hurting self, attempting or threatening suicide Suddenly changing friends National Crime Prevention Council

Academic Signs Not wanting to go to school Changing method of going to school (e.g., changing walking route, wanting to be driven instead of riding the bus) Drop in grades National Crime Prevention Council

What To Do About Bullying: Prevention Strategies
Strategies for Children who are bullied Children who witness bullying Parents Teachers, counselors, and service providers Schools and community centers Successful prevention is everyone’s business. For the remainder of the presentation you will focus on prevention strategies for those listed on this slide. Before advancing to Slide 23, ask participants what they think is the most effective way a child can deal with bullying. Have individuals share their ideas and write their responses on a flipchart. If a participant offers a response such as “fight back,” write the idea on the flipchart and then ask the participants if they agree that fighting back is an effective strategy. After hearing comments from the participants, point out the negative consequences of fighting back (for example, it could lead to physical injuries or suspension from school). Emphasize that there are many nonviolent strategies to keep children safe and help them manage bullying. For more information on this issue, see the handout in the “Frequently Asked Questions” section at the end of this document. National Crime Prevention Council

Children Who Are Bullied
Prevention strategies Tell an adult. Talk it out. Walk away. Distract the bully with a joke. Avoid the bully. Hang out with friends. Discuss the various strategies children and youth can use to deal with bullying. Emphasize that there is no one right way to deal with bullying. Different children will feel comfortable with different strategies, and different bullying situations may call for different courses of action. Children should be familiar with all of these strategies so they can choose the most appropriate one for them. Also emphasize that the objective is not to transfer the responsibility for taking action onto the young person. We teach children and youth these strategies so they can be empowered, but we still need to take action on their behalf whenever we see bullying take place. National Crime Prevention Council

Children Who Witness Bullying
Strategies for children witnessing bullying Tell the bully to stop. Help the victim walk away. Recruit friends to help the victim. Befriend the victim. Get an adult. Tell participants that in addition to providing children and youth with strategies to manage bullying if they are victims, we also need to give them ways to deal with bullying that they witness. Remind participants that peers are present in 85 percent of bullying incidents. Observe that mobilizing children who witness bullying is also important because they are effective at stopping bullying. When peers intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds 57 percent of the time (Hawkins, Pepler, and Craig, 2001). Not only are witnesses effective, but they are willing to intervene. According to one study of 4th through 6th graders, over half of the students indicated that when they see bullying, they try to help the victim or think they should help the victim (Melton et al., 2001). Share strategies witnesses can use: Tell the bully to stop. (“Hey, picking on him isn’t cool.”) Help the victim walk away. (“Sarah, can you come here? I need to ask you a question.”) Recruit friends to help the victim. (“Will you all come with me to help Robert?”) Befriend the victim. (“Maria, do you want to sit with us at lunch?”) Get an adult. (“I think someone needs help.”) National Crime Prevention Council

Children Who Witness Bullying
When peers intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds, 57% of the time. Source: Hawkins, Pepler, and Craig, 2001 Tell participants that as children and youth learn these strategies, they need the opportunity to practice them in a safe environment so they can use them when they see real bullying. Role-playing scenarios give young people the opportunity to take on different roles and practice reacting as children who are bullied or as children who witness bullying. Tell participants that you are going to demonstrate how they can use role playing with young people. Tell them that the role play that you are going to conduct comes from the lesson on bullying in Community Works, a curriculum that is part of NCPC’s teen initiative, Teens, Crime, and the Community. Ask for four volunteers to come to the front of the room. Assign, or ask them to select, roles as the person bullying, the person being bullied, and two witnesses. Share one of the scenarios below and ask the individuals to role play this bullying situation. (Note: You may wish to institute a “no touching” rule with your participants.) Before the actors begin, read the scenario aloud to all participants. National Crime Prevention Council

Bullying Role Play: How To Implement Prevention Strategies
On the way to school, Tony (age 11) was told by Luke (age 14), to hand over his new jacket. Tony gave Luke his jacket, and Luke kicked him several times in the legs. Two other young people saw this happen. Theresa, a seventh grader, regularly intimidates Carla, another seventh grader, into doing Theresa’s math homework for her. One day Carla forgets the homework, and Theresa threatens to spread nasty rumors about her (such as telling other girls that Carla has herpes). This happens in a cafeteria full of students. Robert, a 15-year-old African American, likes to go to the basketball court in his neighborhood to shoot hoops after school. A group of young people who aren’t African American often show up and kick him off the court. There are usually a bunch of other people hanging out nearby. Andrea (age 16) is constantly being harassed by a group of girls in the park. They tease her about her clothes and call her names. The park is crowded with other young people. National Crime Prevention Council

Role Play Review What was the bullying behavior? How did the bullied child react to the bullying? How did the other children react? How did the bullying child react to the actions of the child who was bullied or the other children? Was the bullying managed in an effective way? What are other ways the bullying could have been handled? When the role play has ended, ask the participants the questions on the slide. If you have time, facilitate another role play. Ask for four new volunteers for the second scenario. (Note: You may wish to present the role-play participants with a small give-away item.) National Crime Prevention Council

Parents Can Prevent Bullying
Keep an eye out for signs of bullying. Ask children direct questions about how peers treat them and if they witness bullying. Work with teachers, school staff, etc. to address bullying. Share with participants things that parents can do to help children with bullying. Keep an eye open for warning signs/clues that something is wrong. Ask children direct questions about how peers treat them and if they see bullying. Work with teachers, school staff, and other service providers to address bullying. Inquire about the bullying policy at your child’s school/afterschool center. If there isn’t a policy, offer to help the school or center develop one. Suggest the implementation of a comprehensive anti-bullying program. Be a positive role model by not bullying children or adults. If your child is being bullied: Take complaints of bullying seriously. Reassure your child that he or she was right to tell you about the problem and that you will help deal with the situation. Teach your child to be assertive, but not aggressive. Help your child identify strategies for dealing with bullying—plan alternate routes to avoid the bully, identify friends your child can sit with at lunch. Give your child positive social opportunities to make friends. Make teachers and caregivers aware of the problem and work together to address it. National Crime Prevention Council

Parents Can Prevent Bullying, continued
Inquire about the bullying policy at your child’s school. Suggest the implementation of a comprehensive anti-bullying program. Be a positive role model by not bullying children or adults. Ask the participants to come up with ideas to prevent bullying that they can communicate to other parents in their communities. Possible answers include distributing tip sheets at school-sponsored sports events or cultural performances, holding a brown bag lunch for parents, repeating this workshop at a PTA meeting, and providing information during back-to-school nights or during parent-teacher conferences. National Crime Prevention Council

Parents: Helping a Bullied Child
Take complaints of bullying seriously. Reassure your child that he or she was right to tell you of the problem. Teach your child to be assertive, not aggressive. Help the child identify strategies for dealing with bullying. Give the child positive social opportunities to make friends. Make teachers and other caregivers aware of the problem and work together to address it. National Crime Prevention Council

Parents: Keeping Your Child From Bullying Others
If your child is doing the bullying Spend time with your child daily. Know where your child is and with whom. Make it clear that you do not tolerate this behavior, but that you still accept your child. Arrange for an effective nonviolent consequence if your child continues to bully. Reward good behavior. Teach your child positive ways of solving problems and managing anger. National Crime Prevention Council

Teachers, Counselors, and Service Providers Can Prevent Bullying
Ensure that young people understand the definition of bullying behaviors and effects. Work with children and youth to create rules against bullying. Tell participants that children and youth spend much of their time at school, but they also may attend afterschool programs, summer camps, and other community programs. It’s important for any individuals who work with young people to take action to prevent bullying. Discuss strategies for teachers, counselors, and service providers. Ensure that young people understand the definition of bullying, bullying behaviors, and the effects of bullying (how it makes people feel). Work with children and youth to create rules against bullying. Have every young person sign the rules and post them in a visible place. Share the following example of rules against bullying: We will not bully others. We will try to help people who are bullied. We will include others in games and activities. We will tell an adult if we know someone is being bullied. Source: The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2000 National Crime Prevention Council

Teachers: Rules Against Bullying
Children will not bully others. Children will try to help people who are bullied. Children will include others in activities. Children will tell an adult if someone is being bullied. Help young people build skills for dealing with bullying (through role plays). Help young people develop other positive social skills (conflict resolution, communication, and problem-solving). Supervise children on the playground, in hallways, etc. Take immediate action when bullying is witnessed or reported. Take the following steps when intervening in a bullying incident: Stop the bullying. Support the victim. Name the bullying behavior. Refer to the rules against bullying. Impose immediate consequences (as appropriate) per the disciplinary code. Empower the bystander. Source: The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2000 Source: The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2000 National Crime Prevention Council

Furthering Bullying Prevention
Adults should Help young people build skills for dealing with bullying Help young people develop positive social skills Supervise children on the playground, in the hallways, etc. Take immediate action when bullying is witnessed or reported Tell participants about ways adults can follow up on bullying incidents as described on the slide. Source: The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2001 National Crime Prevention Council

Managing and Intervening in Bullying Incidents
Adults should Stop the bullying Support the child being bullied Name the bullying behavior Refer to the rules against bullying Impose immediate and appropriate consequences Empower children witnessing the bullying Source: The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2000 National Crime Prevention Council

Bullying Incidents: Methods for Management and Follow-up
Report the incident to administrators. Increase vigilance and communication. Have separate conversations with the child who is bullied and the child who did the bullying. Speak first with the child who is bullied. Impose consequences for the bullying child. Speak with the parents of the children involved. Follow-up with both children at a later time. Source: The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group, 2001 National Crime Prevention Council

Bully-free Strategies for Schools and Community Centers
Have a clear and specific anti-bullying policy. Implement consistent and immediate consequences for bullying. Give praise for pro-social and helpful behavior. Increase supervision on the playground, in cafeterias, etc. Tell participants that administrators of schools and community centers can take steps to make their facilities bully-free. These steps should include the following: Have a specific and clear anti-bullying policy distinct from a general behavior management plan. The policy should name specific bullying behaviors, express intolerance for those behaviors, and summarize measures the school or center will take to prevent bullying. Have consistent and immediate consequences for bullying and other aggressive behavior. Give praise for pro-social and helpful behavior. Increase supervision on the playground, in hallways, at bus stops, and in cafeterias/gymnasiums. Provide training for all staff members (including custodians, volunteers, etc.). Involve parents. Investigate bullying incidents and work with the children involved to prevent future incidents. Implement a comprehensive bullying prevention program National Crime Prevention Council

Bully-free Strategies for Schools and Community Centers
Provide training for all staff members. Involve parents. Investigate bullying incidents and work with children involved to prevent future incidents. Implement a comprehensive bullying prevention program. National Crime Prevention Council

Personal Action Plan What can you to prevent bullying? Tell participants that you have just shared numerous strategies to deal with bullying. Ask them to reflect on this information and identify three things that they can do to address bullying. National Crime Prevention Council

QUIZ Tell participants that you want to see what they’ve learned about bullying by returning to the quiz. Again read each true-false statement and ask participants to call out the answers. When you hear an incorrect answer, provide the correct one. F T Congratulate the participants for learning new information about bullying. Before moving on to slide 41, review the objectives you stated in the beginning of the presentation. National Crime Prevention Council

NCPC Resources Community Works Helping Kids Handle Conflict Get the Message McGruff Trading Cards Website, Training and technical assistance Discovery Education bullying video Distribute the handout that describes resources. Tell the participants that the National Crime Prevention Council has a variety of resources on bullying. These include free trading cards for children that can be ordered through the website NCPC also has brochures for parents and lesson plans for teachers and community center staff. If possible, obtain copies of some NCPC resources for participants to review. You may also highlight other bullying prevention programs listed on the handout, such as the Take a Stand! Lend a Hand! Stop Bullying Now! campaign and the Olweus Bullying Prevention program. Descriptions of these resources and contact information for requesting additional information are included in the handout. National Crime Prevention Council

Other Resources Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Comprehensive program for schools Training for those implementing the program Stop Bullying Now! U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Take a Stand! Lend a Hand! Stop Bullying Now! Online webisodes and games Resource kit Website, National Crime Prevention Council

Other Resources National Criminal Justice Reference Service: National Crime Prevention Council

Bullying: What’s New and What To Do Frequently Asked Questions Handouts Frequently Asked Questions/Handouts (Slides 41-47) You can share the next few slides as handouts that you can print on your own. Or, share them as part of your PowerPoint presentation. If your state has statutes on bullying, you may want to share them as a handout. National Crime Prevention Council

The definition of bullying includes the fact that bullying behaviors are repeated over time. How long do acts need to go on before the behavior is considered “bullying”? Although the definition says that acts are repeated over time, action should be taken as soon as any type of bullying is seen. By intervening immediately, we communicate to young people that bullying is not acceptable. National Crime Prevention Council

Will young people avoid telling adults about bullying because they think it is tattling? Adults can help children understand the difference between tattling and telling. Tattling involves matters that are unimportant, harmless, or accidental. Often the child tattling could handle the situation alone, or is seeking to get someone else in trouble. Telling involves matters that are important, where someone is being harmed (physically or psychologically) or might be harmed. The situation is something too big for the child to handle alone, and the child tells to keep someone safe. Children generally understand the difference between tattling and telling. As adults, we need to assess whether a child is tattling or telling and then take appropriate action. National Crime Prevention Council

Tattling Telling Unimportant Important Harmless Someone being hurt Accidental Purposeful Could solve alone Needs help to solve Trying to get someone in trouble Trying to help someone else National Crime Prevention Council

One strategy for children who are bullied is to talk it out. Is it realistic to expect them to do this? Sometimes a friend starts bullying another young person. This youth may be able to confront the friend immediately and ask why the friend has started bullying. Again, emphasize that not every strategy will work in every situation, and that young people must choose the strategies they feel most comfortable with. National Crime Prevention Council

Why isn’t “fighting back” considered an effective strategy for dealing with bullying? When I was a kid, I fought back and the bullying stopped. Fighting back is not an effective strategy because of the negative consequences associated with it. If a young person fights back against the person bullying there is a risk of Physical injuries as a result of the fight Suspension (many schools have zero tolerance policies) Increased bullying/retaliation Belief by the young person that violence is an acceptable way to deal with problems As a presenter who seeks to reduce violence in the community and ensure that all members of the community are safe, you must not endorse the use of violence to deal with bullying situations. National Crime Prevention Council

What’s the difference between bullying and harassment?
There really is no difference: harassment is a type of bullying. Many bullying behaviors have names that adults recognize as crimes: extortion, assault, slander, libel, etc. Although we do not use these words with children, they describe the same types of behaviors as “bullying” does. You may want to point this out if your participants do not seem to think bullying is a serious problem. National Crime Prevention Council

1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW Thirteenth Floor Washington, DC National Crime Prevention Council

Presenter Contact Information Trainer: Fill in your contact information. National Crime Prevention Council

Bullying: What’s New and What To Do

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "Bullying: What’s New and What To Do"— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback

Log in

Auth with social network:

Bullying: What’s New and What To Do

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "Bullying: What’s New and What To Do"— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback