- Teach your children that if they see someone being bullied, they should not watch, laugh or join in.
- Pay attention to the relationships in your children’s groups. Ensure all children are included and that inappropriate behaviours are addressed.
- Help kids see the value of offering empathy and support to those who are bullied.
- Work with your child’s school to educate others about the problem of bullying.
- Be a good example for your children. Model respectful behaviours at home and in your daily interactions.
How parents can help stop cyberbullying:
- Familiarize yourself with online activities. Learn about the websites, blogs, chatrooms and cyberlingo that your children are using.
- Keep the computer in a common area so you can monitor activities.
- Keep open communication lines with your children so they feel comfortable talking to you about cyberbullying experiences. Let them know that you are there to support them.
- Recognize that online communication is a very important social aspect in kids’ lives. Do not automatically remove their online privileges if you find out about a cyberbullying experience.
- Talk to your children about what is acceptable behaviour online and offline.
- Report any incident of online harassment and physical threats to the local police or your Internet Service Provider.
- Report any bullying that occurs over your child’s cell phone to your phone service provider. You may have to change the phone number if the problem does not stop.
Beyond the Hurt: Preventing Peer Harassment and Bullying
A Program for Adults
This Beyond the Hurt program examines all types of harassment and bullying—personal, racial, sexual, and the abuse of power and authority for parents and adults who work with children and youth.
Ranging from 2 - 8 hours, interactive workshops explore:
- how interpersonal power issues are played out among young people
- all aspects of bullying and harassment
- intervention and prevention issues, including in the law and through school policies
- how to respond to disclosures and what support services are available
- what impact bullying and harassing behavior have on young people
- proactive strategies for preventing harassment, abuse and bullying from occurring at individual, organizational, and community levels
- how to work with youth in developing risk-management strategies.
Resource Materials: A participant’s manual, as well as a video and case studies support the information.
Cost: Affordable and variable, dependent on the type, length and size of the workshop. Please contact your local Red Cross for specifics. Pricing includes facilitator and participant resources; does not include space, refreshments, meals etc. Additional fees may be charged for larger groups and travel expenses.
Posted November 7, 2007 |
