Tag Archives: bullying tips

How to connect with others and grow self-esteem

We all have a need to belong and feel connected to other people. The people we associate with in our lives are like the links in a chain. Every link is a necessary part of the chain. Most of us feel connected to our families and have good feelings that are associated with family members and relatives. Think of a family member or relative you look up to. What are the reasons you admire that person? Make a list of their qualities that you like the most.

Being part of a club or team can also help people feel connected to others. Think about your interests and then consider whether there might be a group or team you can join where you will be participating in the activity you love. You will be sure to develop connections with some of the people you are sharing your activity with.

Being connected with people will help to reduce the chance that you will be bullied. It will help you build self-esteem and you will be happier over all.

Bruce Langford’s School Programs to teach respect, build confidence & grow self-esteem can be found at www.standupnow.ca

6 Ways To Stand Up Against Bullying During Bullying Awareness Week in Ontario

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Nov 13 to Nov 19 is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week. The theme is ‘Stand Up To Bullying’. You can ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ by getting actively involved. Here are some things you can do:

Write a song and share it with your family, school, radio station or You-Tube
Talk to an expert and find out ways you can volunteer with their organization
If you are a student, talk to your student council rep about having a ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ day at your school
If you are employed at a school, start a poster campaign to raise awareness
If you are being bullied – talk to someone; write about it and then try to make changes in your life so the bullying will stop.
If you bully people, take a vow to stop this destructive behaviour – it not only hurts others, it hurts you.

Together, we can all help stop bullying!
Visit www.standupagainstbullying.com

Winston Churchill and how to Stand Up Against Bullying Using 5 Key Character Traits

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Winston Churchill was a man known for his strong character traits. When we talk about ways to beat bullying, just imagine how Winston Churchill would have done his part to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’.

He had
COURAGE. He was willing to move forward regardless of whether the majority of people agreed with him or not. That kind of courage requires an underlying
CONFIDENCE that is gained from experience and strength of character. Confidence can also be built through self-talk, study and
DETERMINATION. Think of a laser beam pointing in one specific direction and never wavering from its target. That is like the determination of Winston Churchill when he became Prime Minister at the age of sixty-five. It is also like the determination of a person who is focusing on making the world a better place by eliminating bullying. Winston Churchill also had tremendous
PERSEVERANCE as he wasn’t willing to give up easily. His perseverance helped him move through his election defeat in 1945 when he was voted out by the same people he had earlier led to victory. In spite of that defeat, he remained grounded and stayed on as leader of the opposition. Later he was elected as prime minister again in 1950.

Think of Churchill and these four character traits when you deal with bullying situations. What would Churchill have done? Would he have given up, or continued to persevere?

We visited Winston Churchill Public School in Chatham yesterday and were impressed with the students and the serious attitude they had in regard to Standing Up Against Bullying. Principal, Leslie Boulton was very pleased with the three assemblies and told us they were “even better than our last visit to her school”. That was when she was principal at Harwich Raleigh Public School (Lambton Kent District School Board) in 2005.
Remember to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’.

Blenheim Neighbourhood Watch Hosts Anti-Bullying Speaker, Bruce Langford

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Bullying will decrease when everyone starts to care. That is the belief of the Blenheim Neighbourhood Watch Group which started looking for a guest speaker on the topic last spring. Kim Dagenais is the president of the group and was instrumental in locating a speaker with experience and knowledge in the field of bullying prevention. Bruce has been presenting workshops in Ontario for a number of years.

The information covered in the Neighbourhood Watch workshop was cyberbullying, family dynamics, facebook and how to cope with tough bullying situations.

Here is a tip that Bruce shared during the talk in Blenheim:

Sit with your children and discuss the ground rules for internet use in your home. Talk with your family about expectations on the web and regarding the use of cell phones.

This tip can make a big difference later, if a complicated challenge arises involving cyberbullying.
Visit Blenheim Neighbourhood Watch on Facebook!

Bruce Langford does talks and presentations across Ontario on the topic of bullying and cyberbullying. He can be contacted at 1-800-901-8831 or through ‘Stand Up Now Productions’.

6 Ways to Keep From Crashing Due to a Pre-Teen Dilemma

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1. Assess the situation rationally by writing down the details in a factual way
2. Talk over the dilemma with a trusted adult. This could be a parent, teacher, councillor, friend or other relative. Call a confidential counseling service like ‘KidsHelpPhone’ if you don’t have anyone else to talk to.
3. Continue to eat regular, nutritious meals and snacks. Stress can cause many people to lean to junk food or foods and drinks containing ‘uppers’ like caffeine. So called ‘energy’ drinks can also throw your body out of equilibrium.
4. If you have pets, they can help lower your stress level. Walk your dog, play with your cat, watch your fish or ride your pony. Spend extra time caring for your pets and you may start to feel more relaxed.
5. Make sure you maintain your sleep schedule so you don’t get over tired. That can add more stress to a situation that is already difficult.
6. Keep up your regular schedule of physical activities. Consider adding more activities if you are not a very active person. Even a simple walk can help you feel better.

We offer ideas to help kids deal with bullying situations and other challenges. Visit our website at www.standupnow.ca

Waterloo Catholic School Shares Bullying Prevention Strategies

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‘Be The Change’ is the ongoing slogan that St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School in Elmira lives by. Be The Change has a deep meaning to the students at St. Teresa. Every person knows they have a responsibility to look out for others and to take the initiative to speak up if something needs to be said. They know that it only takes one person to make a difference and that one person is you.
Principal, Sherry Peeples is determined to make a difference at St. Teresa. She is behind the theme of the year which is ‘Let Your Light Shine’. It ties right in with the ongoing theme of ‘Be The Change’, and puts the focus on each student to step out and be positive with one another. Students understand they can encourage others by interacting with kindness as described in the bible.
Ms. Peeples has been encouraging the students at St. Teresa for three years and has definitely made a positive difference. She believes that guest presentations can make an impact on the school climate. Following our ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assembly, she commented:
“Wow – fantastic show! I really enjoyed the creativity involved with the presentation of the Stand Up Now assembly. Bruce intertwined student engagement, student interaction, music, and the message of our faith and Respect in a way that the students will remember for a long time to come! Entertaining and meaningful!”
Sherry Peeples, Principal St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School, Elmira Ontario

Mississauga Public School has MAGIC formula to beat bullying

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Meadowvale Village Public School in Mississauga recently hosted Stand Up Now Productions with speaker Bruce Langford. We focused on bullying with emphasis on Meadowvale MAGIC. What a great way to help focus on important concepts that all kids need to live by. Here is the ‘magic’ formula:

M anners
A chievement
G ood Sportsmanship
I nitiative
C ooperation

Meadowvale Village MAGIC Logo

We shared our ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ songs and videos with the students who were filled with enthusiasm. Later, one of the teachers came back to comment on the show.
“I loved it! It was great. You kept me and my class totally engaged for the entire time.”
Barb Linton, Grade 2 Teacher, Meadowvale Village Public School, Mississauga.

We talked about initiative and how it related to our role plays where one person takes the initiative to make a difference. The outcome of a scenario can be totally changed by the decision of one person to handle things differently from the crowd.
Meadowvale Village Vice-Principal, Sara Damasco said she was very pleased with the bullying prevention assemblies presented by Stand Up Now Productions.

Contact info is: www.standupnow.ca or 519-269-9837

Education Week Assemblies in Toronto Feature 5 Key Strategies to Stop Bullying Behaviours

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Education Week at Madoc Drive Public School was celebrated today with bullying prevention assemblies by Bruce Langford of ‘Stand Up Now Productions’.
The students were filled with enthusiasm as DJ, Benny DL went live on ATFM Radio. He talked about 5 Key Strategies to Stop Bullying Behaviours.

Ignore the Bullying Behaviour (sometimes the person is just trying to get attention)
Say ‘Please Leave Me Alone’ (Say it in a confident way, but only once)
Tell a Parent, Teacher or other Trusted Adult
Get Friends to Help You
Show your Confidence

Madoc students acted out real-life scenarios and participated in songs. A student came up afterwards commenting about the ‘great music and awesome video’. Madoc Principal, Mr. Tim Peterson makes sure students set exellent examples to inspire others. Education week is a great time to focus on bullying prevention. Just remember the 5 Key Strategies to Stop Bullying Behaviours.

http://www.standupagainstbullying.com/

Safe At Schools Conference at Nobleton Senior Public School, Greater Toronto

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Stand Up Now featured Bruce Langford as the keynote presenter at Nobleton’s 4^th annual Safe At Schools Conference on Monday.

Principal, Ms. Nancy Redmond gave a warm welcome to the students to launch the day’s activities at Nobleton. The students from Nobleton Junior Public School were guests for the day as they participated in crafts, workshops and the ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ assemblies featuring student dramas, videos and student interaction.
The grade 6, 7 & 8 ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ presentation was geared directly to the intermediate level with stories and discussion which the students could relate to. It also included scenarios acted out by the students as well as life-like situations depicted in video clips.
Following the presentation, a number of intermediate students rushed to the front to find out more information from presenter, Bruce Langford.

A bullying prevention tip that was key in the presentation revolved around declaring Nobleton a bullying free zone by having the grade 6,7 & 8 students take a vow to ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’.

Tip: Resolve to take action when you see a bullying situation.

Nobleton Public School is a school where students definitely will take action as they ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’. We thank the students, administrators, and organizer, Ms. Deborah Godin, for a warm welcome to Nobleton and a truly rewarding day with your students!

5 Bullying Prevention Tips Offered at Lambton-Kent School Assemblies

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Bullying, respect and cyber-bullying assemblies were all theme driven assemblies we presented at Gregory Drive Public School in Chatham on Wednesday (Lambton-Kent District School Board – LKDSB). Bruce Langford was also guest speaker at the parent evening session designed for parents and children on internet safety, parenting and bullying. We were impressed with the audience size for a school of under 300 students!

There were 46 adults and children present to see videos, student role-plays and participate in a discussion on the topic of bullying.

Here are some valuable bullying prevention tips we offered in the various assemblies:

Beware of on-line polls where anonymous comments can be posted. Comments can be mean-spirited, hurtful and devastating.
Unplug your web-cam when you aren’t using it.
If someone is bullying you, speak up in a non-confrontational way.
Build a small group of supportive, trustable friends. You can help each other if necessary.
Don’t meet people you have met on-line as they may not be the person they said they were. Internet luring has become a big problem.

Principal, Ms. Lynn Sulman administers an impressive school. Her staff and students obviously work together to create an excellent, safe school environment making it an amazing Lambton-Kent school! Kudos to you, Ms. Sulman.