Stop Bullying Community Wide

Bullying may be a large problem, but it is one that can be prevented. As a community, we can work together to identify the children that are being bullied or are bullying other children and providing them the support that they need to cope with the bullying and stop it while also helping those children that are the bullies to see that their behavior is not necessary.

Some Facts About Bullying in the Community

More often than not, it is children that see bullying taking place rather than adults. The reason for this is because most of the time, adults are not around in the social areas where bullying takes place. This can change. With more adults watching for bullying behavior, the better it will be.

Bullying may happen most frequently at school, it does not stop when the last bell of the day rings and school is over. Bullying happens just as much throughout the community as it does within the school. Anywhere that children gather for socializing, activities, etc. is a place where bullying can occur.

Bullying prevention programs and messages are more likely to be taken serious when there are more adults spreading the message. When it is just educators and parents, some children don't find that there is a strong enough barrier to hold them back from bullying others and it makes the victims feel as though there aren't enough adults that would support them if they were to ask. Every adult within the community needs to come forward and help spread to word about bully prevention.

Community Strategies to Stop and Prevent Bullying

Get everyone involved - students, youth, professionals, parents and other individuals - in bully prevention tactics. Get together for a session and determine what everyone sees in the community in terms of bullying and what solutions that you can come up with as a group.

When engaging in talk regarding bullying prevention, be sure to include the youth in the conversation. Let the youth speak out about their thoughts out the planning and implementation of the strategies that the group has come up with. Children can help you understand whether or not your tactics will work or not since they are the ones living in the world full of bullies and bullying.

Make certain that you have guidance counselors, social service professionals and other prominent educators and professionals that can provide insight on bringing bullying to a halt.

As a community, you should study the bullying problem locally rather than gaining information from other cities and towns even within the surrounding vicinity as every community is different.

Determine where the bullying is most prominent, the types of bullying that occurs, the locations where bullying occurs, etc.

The most important step in working as a community to stop bullying is to raise community awareness about bullying. Let the community know that bullying is indeed a problem in the community as many citizens of a particular city or county are unaware that bullying is even a problem.

It is also vital that everyone understands that bullying is not necessarily a "normal" part of youth and growing up. Bullying is not necessary and there is no need for it at all.

Create and distribute printed materials including but not limited to newsletters, brochures, fact sheets, etc. to raise community awareness of bullying - and the fact that it is present in your community. You can also go so far as creating some form of slogan to send out to the local newspapers, radio stations and TV broadcasters to release during primetime viewing.