Bullying Prevention

KCYDN Event: Bullying Prevention
Meeting Minutes
Presenter: Heather Carter, MA
11/29/2011 3-5pm

KCYDN Overview:
  Central place for sharing news and information
  Over 800 members
  Weekly newsletters with 1,000+ readers
  Website:
     o News  local and national related to youth workers
     o Events and trainings
     o Job postings from craigslist
     o Message boards: Share opportunities, discuss issues, seek help and advice
Monthly themed networking events  - usually 30 to 40 people
To join just go to the website and create an account
Icebreaker: name, work, and a reason people get bullied
Main Criteria for bullying:
  • Imbalance of power (real or perceived)
  • Repeated – can be by an individual or multiple people
  • Negative impact
  • Deliberate intent to do harm
  • Seeking negative dominance/control
Harassment  biased  - need to call it that for liability
  o Based on identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity
Sexual orientation and gender identity are protected by law in WA state – but not all states
Direct bullying  in your face, usually boys, less harmful than indirect
Indirect bullying  cyber bullying, gossip, rumors, graffiti –usually girls and is more harmful
Sexual bullying  sexual harassment including sexting
Cyber bullying  through phones, computer, etc.
Research:
  o 100% of students are affected by bullying
  o Target: fear, anger, rejection, isolation, anxiety, depression
  o Bully: low self-esteem, suicide, depression
  o Bystander: anxiety, powerlessness, guilt, lowered empathy toward target
  o Bully/victim: risk behaviors highest within these populations
Be careful of terminology especially “bully” and “victim” – try to use target instead of victim
  o People act like bullies but are not bullies
Mediation does not work in bullying situations – retargets the target because of imbalance of power
Relational aggression = indirect bullying
Majority of Kindergarteners express bullying behaviors
WA Healthy youth survey:
  o 19% of youth who were not bullied felt depressed vs. 39.6% of youth who were bullied felt depressed
  o 5.2% of youth who were not bullied attempted suicide vs. 11.8% of youth who were bullied attempted suicide
Anti-LGBT bullying:
  o 84.6% of LGBT youth verbally harassed
  o 61.1% of LGBT youth felt unsafe at school
Anti-LGBT bulling in cohesion with:
  o Suicide
  o High risk behaviors
  o Isolation
  o Negative mental health outcomes
Healthy youth survey does not ask about sexual identity
Huge increase in sexual orientation (real or perceived) harassment and depression
Over 85% of school shooters were bullied
Media does good coverage the problem, but it also normalizes the connections and outcomes
Schools: working with students
  o Knowledge: what bullying is, what will happen, what we can do
  o Skills: assertive not aggressive, conflict resolution, supportive bystander, how to react
  o Attitudes: culture of acceptance, zero bias, safety, cooperation, empathy, responsibility for own actions, resist negative group pressure
What schools can do:
  o Develop a well-supported anti-bullying policy and clear anti-bias policies - Call out who you protect
  o Make sure the concept of bullying is clearly defined and understood
  o Facilitate a school wide anti-bullying program
  o Respond to school bullying in the most appropriate, consistent and effective  way
  o Teach coping skills and suicide prevention
New WA policies and procedures:
  o Accountability
  o Compliance officer (all districts must have one)
  o Prohibits harassment
  o 3 ways to report bullying  anonymous, confidential, and non-confidential
  o If requested, there’s a procedure to determine if family should not be contacted
  o Shortens investigation and corrective action time from 30 days to 5-7 days
  o Support services
  o Resources outside of district
  o Trainings for ALL
Promoting anti-bullying messages
  o Discuss school climate in staff meetings
  o Ongoing PA announcements
  o Utilize the school website
  o School mottos – respect, value diversity, and safety
What Community Partners Can Do
  o Set a good example
  o Provide training to staff and youth