Bullying

Prevent 7 likes to hit bullying head on! We come into your school to educate and prevent bullying. We go to the HOT SPOTS and interact with the students. Teaching the kids about the effects of bullying and the harm it causes. Working in the HOT SPOTS with the kids, where bullying takes place gives us the opportunity to correct the negative behavior and prevent bullying from reoccurring.

What is bullying?

A lot of young people have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day! Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over.

  • Punching, shoving, and other acts that hurt people physically
  • Spreading bad rumors about people
  • Keeping certain people out of a "group"
  • Teasing people in a mean way
  • Getting certain people to "gang up" on others
  • Acts that hurt emotionally
  • Cyberbullying

How do you know if you are being bullied?

So you are being bullied, huh? That can feel pretty awful. But, no matter how bad it makes you feel sometimes, you should know you are not alone. That is right…there are plenty of kids and adults all over the world who go through the same things you do every day. Even though you may feel helpless sometimes, help is within reach.

  • Tell your friends and family
  • Support someone who is being bullied
  • Go out of your way to help others

What can you do about bullying?

So, you aren't someone who bullies others, and you haven't been bullied yourself. But if you see it happening to others, you can help put a stop to it. In order to stop bullying, everyone needs to lend a hand and get involved! And even though it might be easier to stand by and watch (or try to ignore the bullying), just remember, we all need a little help from time to time! Think about how you might feel if the bullying was happening to YOU.

What are the effects of bullying?

If you've ever heard an adult - or anyone else - say that bullying is "just a fact of life" or "no big deal," you're not alone! Too often, people just don't take bullying seriously - or until the sad and sometimes scary stories are revealed.

  • It happens a lot more than some people think. Studies show that between 15-25% of U.S. students are bullied with some frequency, while 15-20% report they bully others with some frequency (Melton et al, 1988; Nansel et al, 2001).
  • It can mess up a kid's future. Young people who bully are more likely than those who don't bully to skip school and drop out of school. They are also more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and get into fights (Nansel et al, 2003; Olweus, 1993).
  • It scares some people so much that they skip school. As many as 160,000 students may stay home on any given day because they're afraid of being bullied (Pollack, 1998).
  • It can lead to huge problems later in life. Children who bully are more likely to get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school. And 60% of boys who were bullies in middle school had at least one criminal conviction by the age of 24 (Olweus, 1993).