Tag Archives: reduce bullying

Does Toronto need an anti-bullying bylaw like Port Coquitlam?

Port Coquitlam is currently working on an anti-bullying by-law which will give law-enforcement officers the power to charge people who are apprehended for bullying related offences. In November, Port Coquitlam participated in an anti-bullying campaign which was launched as a result of the suicide of Amanda Todd, the teenaged girl who committed suicide earlier this year as a result of bullying.

The anti-bullying bylaw would be the first law of this type to be passed in British Columbia. Plans are in place to have fines which would range from $200.00 to $2000.00, depending on the specifics of the offence.

People who are charged and fined with a bullying offence will be given the opportunity to have their ticket fees waived if they agree to participate in an anti-bullying course developed through the PoCoMo Youth Society.

The PoCoMo Youth Services Society was established in 1992 under the name PoCoMo Teen Centre Society and their original mandate was to develop teen centers in the three British Columbia Cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody. Their website is www.pocomo.org.

Another Canadian City which has had an anti-bullying bylaw in place since 2006, is Regina, Saskachewan. The bylaw in Regina was created as a result of the tragic bullying case of Reena Virk. Regina has defined bullying as: “any objectionable or inappropriate comment, conduct or display by a person directed at an individual not of the same household intended to intimidate, humiliate, ridicule or isolate, which causes or is likely to cause physical or emotional distress.”

Smartphone use can contribute to bullying incidents

The Regina bylaw also makes reference to bullying which results from the use of electronic devices, obviously a reference to the increasing seriousness of cyber-bullying. Regina also makes it possible for those charged to have the fee dropped by agreeing to participate in an anti-bullying course.

Regina officials feel the anti-bullying bylaw has helped to education its residents about bullying. They believe that it is important to raise awareness of the problem and help people understand the seriousness of bullying situations.

Some residents of Toronto believe that an anti-bullying bylaw would be a good thing for their city, as an effort to help increase awareness about a societal situation which in some cases has gotten out of hand.

I believe that education is a very important piece in the puzzle to reduce bullying. As society becomes more aware and more empathetic, our citizens will begin to raise the standards related to what is acceptable by society in general in the area of human relations and more specifically, bullying.

Please spread the word; bullying is not acceptable, in any form.

Stand Up Against Bullying!

Bruce Langford is an anti-bullying advocate in southwestern Ontario.

 

 

 

 

 

Hamilton Parent Anti-bullying event sponsored by Ontario’s PRO Grants

As an anti-bullying week event we visited Sir Wilfrid Laurier public school in Hamilton on November 19, 2012 to present a parent/child presentation called ‘Stand up – Keep Your Kids’.

Parent Council Representative Hamilton

Dayna Liddle, Parent Council Rep Sir Wilfrid Laurier PS

We had a great audience of receptive parents and children who were eager to learn more about bullying prevention. A group of enthusiastic children arrived early to practice role-plays, which they did with sincere conviction. Parent Council representative, Dayna Liddle, was one of the parents in charge of arranging and overseeing the event. Dayna is obviously adamant about bullying prevention.

We talked about a number of concepts which parents can use to help safeguard their children at home, school, and in their communities. Here is an overview of three strategies we discussed.

Confidence:
The energy a human being exudes often comes across as being positive or negative. It is important to ensure that our children are sending positive vibrations to the world, as in my opinion,  this positive energy will also attract positive energy. As parents, it is important to encourage our children to walk with confidence and show confidence in the way they carry themselves. If we are constantly criticizing our children or finding fault with the way they do things, they will develop a low self-esteem that will begin to be apparent wherever they go. Instead, it is important to lift up our children, encourage them, look for the positive, and help them to understand that they are valued individuals who can make a decided difference with their friends or in their community. I strongly believe children who carry themselves in a positive manner, will be targeted less often in bullying situations.

As a parent myself, I understand that it is my job to direct my son if he makes a mistake or does not follow directions. I know I need to be firm and definite about my expectations, however, it is vital that I also help to build up his self-esteem on a continuous basis.

Be Aware of your Child’s Online activity:
When police officers do presentations about cyber bullying, one of the things they talk about is making sure that the computer is in a central place in your home. I also emphasize this very same idea. The computer should not be located at the back of your family room, the corner of your basement or in your child’s bedroom if  it is connected to the Internet. Make sure the computer is in a central place like the kitchen or family room where everyone goes. As an adult we are all responsible for making sure we know exactly what our children are doing online. This includes games, research, online chatting, and social media websites such as Facebook or twitter.

be safe on-line

Be aware of what your children are doing on-line

Cell phones, video, and YouTube:
Many parents are concerned about their child’s safety, and rightly so. As an effort to keep our children safe many of us provide our children with cell phones. However cell phones usually have many capabilities including cameras and video cameras and GPS. These functions while being very useful can also complicate life and provide interesting tools for would be cyber bullies. If a fight breaks out at your child’s school, someone is likely to pull out a cell phone and start videotaping the event. We all know that it is popular to upload these kinds of videos to YouTube or similar sites. Videos such as this often get a high number of hits and it can be a real perk for a student who is trying to get attention. Also what many parents don’t realize is that YouTube will pay users who get a large number of hits on their site. This can also be incentive to upload videos such as I have described.

As a presenter and anti-bullying advocate, I appreciate the fact that this anti-bullying event was made possible by an Ontario government PRO grant. Thanks to everyone who helped organize and support this event at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School in Hamilton.

Bruce Langford, anti-bullying advocate and presenter www.standupnow.ca

 

 

Take a determined stand against bullying at school. These students did!

I have a story to share with you about just a small number of students who really made a difference in their school.

We had visited the school last year and presented our ‘Stand Up For Respect’ assemblies to all the students. Apparently, some really got the message:

After seeing what they referred to as ‘too much meanness and too much bullying’,  five students decided to set up a ‘Stand Up For Respect’ club.

At first, only about a dozen students came to the weekly meetings, but then word started to spread that some cool stuff was happening at the meetings and those students were starting to get noticed. They were speaking up and setting examples that made some positive impact.

After two months, between thirty and forty students were attending the meetings.

They spent their time making posters at some meetings. (The principal let them put the posters up around the school.)

Then they decided to record some commercials that could play on the school announcements.

One student suggested they work on a design for t-shirts, so they starting coming up with different designs. They thought it would make sense to get more people involved, so they put their t-shirt ideas up in the front hall of the school and let everybody vote on their favourite. Then there would be a draw, and one of the voters would win a ‘Stand Up For Respect’ t-shirt.

One week the students were able to get permission to have their meeting in the school computer lab, and they did research on-line. They found videos about showing respect and they decided to ask if they could show some at a school assembly. They had other ideas for the assembly as well. They thought it would be cool to do a skit about stopping bullying by being respectful and standing up against bullying.

They knew that a lot of kids in their school liked music, so they decided to make up some songs about respect.

More and more ideas came together and they thought they could do the assembly for students and maybe do another one at night for parents and kids.

The ‘Stand Up For Respect’ meetings had to start happening in the gym, because more than 130 students were coming on a regular basis, along with seven or eight teachers who were helping out.

They started a contest which each class could participate in called Respect Elect (ric).

Classes could think of a way to decorate their door on the topic of respect, but they had to use bright electric colours. Then the ‘Stand Up For Respect’ club would ‘elect’ the door they thought had the most impact. A picture was taken of every door and the pictures were put on the school website. The winning class got a pizza party. (The local pizza restaurant donated the pizza!)

Parents phoned the school and talked about how impressed they were that the school was being so active to encourage respect.

Just a little story about one school community that really got on board to make some great changes.

Bruce Langford is an anti-bullying advocate who presents bullying prevention assemblies and keynote addresses.

www.standupnow.ca

PRO Grant Education Subsidies Boost School Bullying Prevention Efforts

Pro Grant Education SubsidiesEducation Subsidies are available to assist with the costs of bullying prevention programs which can be featured in your school. Parent Council groups in Ontario often have education subsidies available to them in the form of parent reaching out grants, otherwise known as PRO Grants. Pro Grants can be used for purposes that benefit the whole school and particularly parents. What could be more beneficial to parents in the school, than events and activities to help them learn how to deal with bullying that may involve their children? Schools today teach children how to deal with bullying and most schools feature programs, activities, and curriculum-based learning all geared toward teaching children bullying reduction strategies. Up to now, one of the missing links has often been the parent piece. Parents need to be on the same page as children when it comes to bullying prevention. What are some of the things parents need to know?

1/ Cyber-bullying guidance

2/ How to be proactive & prevent bullying

3/ How to guide children in case bullying incidents occur

Cyber-bullying guidance:
When we present our parent programs in schools, one of the first things we point out is related to internet safety. Parents need to be aware that the computer at home should be located in a central place where everyone goes like the kitchen or family room. Young children should grow up with the idea that Internet usage should be open, and freely shared with each other. It should not be a secretive activity. Another thing we point out is how to provide guidance to children if they do run into a problem online. We need to help our children remain open and trusting, so that if something happens online which is negative, they will share it with us as parents. Keeping communication as open as possible when he children are young is a great first step to helping them when they are older.

How to be proactive and prevent bullying:
Teach your children to walk with confidence. Help your child build strong self-esteem so that they will be sending the message to others, that they are not available as a bullying target. Teach your children to report bullying. Help your children understand that after school it is important to share what has happened during the days’ events. If children get used to sharing their daily activities with family when they are young, there is a much higher chance that they will continue to feel free to share when they are older. Studies have shown that problems occur in children who try to keep all of their frustrations inside.

How to guide children in case of bullying incidents:
If a bullying incident happens, step in immediately to stop the behavior from continuing. Be clear about the facts and understand the difference being telling and tattling. Consult with the teacher, vice-principal or principal. Remain calm, keep an open mind and be discreet. If things don’t improve, meet with the principal again and make a written plan. Be sure to contact police if a bullying incident involves criminal behavior such as sexual assault or the use of a weapon. Check with your school to see if education subsidies have been used to sponsor parent workshops on bullying prevention.

Pro Grants are worthwhile education subsidies that have made many anti-bullying activities a reality in Ontario schools. Parents have told us on numerous occasions that they have benefited from workshops and bullying prevention seminars such as our ‘Stand Up – Keep Your Kids’ evening session.

Bruce Langford presents anti-bullying sessions in schools and workplaces to counter bullying and increase respect
www.standupnow.ca.

Earth Day reminds us to consider what matters around us

Be willing to speak up in support of maintaining nature’s systems that make our earth so magnificent.  Treat the earth with consideration.
Do your part every day to make the earth a better place.

EARTH DAY is a day to consider the gift our earth gives us
including clean air to breathe and fresh water to enjoy.

We must preserve these gifts by all working together to maintain the natural resources the earth provides.

We must also work together to keep our relationships on track and
to maintain feelings of appreciation and thoughtfulness. Speak up when
something needs to be said. See a little of yourself in others and you will be
more understanding and sensitive to their needs. Doing these things will help to
keep your relationships filled with respect. Bit by bit the concept of bullying will become even more abhorrent than it already is. Beat bullying by building respect and living it everyday just as we celebrate Earth Day by showing respect to our planet.

Bruce Langford, bullying prevention advocate www.brucelangford.ca

3 Amazing Quotes which offer Bullying Advice to those being Bullied

“It gets better. It seems hard, you know, I think being different is always gonna be a tough climb. There’s always gonna be people that are scared of it. But at the end of the day you give those bullies, those people, that are so ignorant, if you give them the power to affect you, you’re letting them win. And they don’t deserve that. What you’re doing by being yourself is you’re keeping it real, and you’re being really brave.”
Adam Lambert

“When people see you’re happy doing what you’re doing, it sort of takes the power away from them to tease you about it.”
Wendy Mass, Every Soul A Star

“With ignorance comes fear- from fear comes bigotry. Education is the key to acceptance.”
Kathleen Patel, The Bullying Epidemic-the guide to arm you for the fight

Bruce Langford , anti-bullying advocate and speaker www.brucelangford.ca

 

Does Bully Movie 2012 show too much graphic bullying?

Promo Bully MovieSweet natured and keen to learn, Alex wants more than anything to fit in. But from the moment he gets on the school bus, Alex is relentlessly bullied by classmates, who pummel him with insults, curses and punches.

 As another school year begins, Kirk and Laura Smalley launch Stand for the Silent, an anti-bullying organization. They won’t be waving their son off to school. At the age of 11, tired of being pushed down, thrown into lockers, and verbally abused, Ty Smalley took his own life.

The above scenarios are from the new movie Bully. Have you seen it yet?
When someone gets picked on all the time – ridiculed, pushed, shunned or trash talked – that’s bullying. It happens to 10 to 15 per cent of Canadian students aged 11 to 15, and to 20 per cent of U.S. students. Bullying really hurts people – not just the kids being bullied but also their families. You can make your school and community safer by doing your part to stop bullying.

See the movie Bully. Take A Stand. Take the Pledge. Contact Cineplex, Empire Theatres. The movie is scheduled for release in select theatres April 6, 2012.

Follow on Twitter @bullycanada #stopbullying

Watch Bully. Then tell everyone about it. Because when we all understand what bullying really does to kids and their families, then we can all work together. Visit www.bullymovie.ca to take the pledge.

What is your opinion? Does Bully Movie 2012 show too much graphic bullying and violence? Let us know what you think with a quick comment.

Bruce Langford – anti-bullying advocate and school presenter
http://www.brucelangford.ca

I pledge to stop bullying and not be a bystander (St. Thomas V.I.)

Sugar Bay Resort Stand Up Against Bullying Youth Summit 2012A student report:
Today we went to the U.S. Virgin Islands Youth Summet at SugarBay Resort and Spa. There were about 300 5th and 6th graders. We are all from the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education Schools.
We watched BennyDL go live on ATFM radio broadcasting directly from SugarBay Resort. He talked to callers, sang songs and talked about bullying prevention. BennyDL is a DJ but his real name is Bruce Langford.
Later we watched videos & talked about the issues related to bullying. We got into groups with students from other schools. Some of us made up poems and songs about bullying and what to do. Some of us made up role-plays and skits about bullying. Some groups presented to everyone.
We put our ideas together into one pledge we believed in. The pledge we came up with is simple:

Our Stop Bullying Pledge
I pledge to stop bullying and not be a bystander.
I will lend a helping hand to others to help keep our communities safe.

Students from 7th to 12th grade also met and came up with the following vow:

The U.S. Virgin Islands Anti-bullying Vow
We solemnly vow to abolish bullying!
We hereby declare we will use our courage and strength
to not be a bystander,
but instead be a leader, take action and to take a stand.
School Speaker

Bruce Langford is an international presenter and anti-bullying advocate   www.brucelangford.ca

Collingwood Area Schools Learn Bullying Prevention Strategies

Burkevale Separate SchoolToday we had the pleasure of visiting Burkevale Protestant Separate School in Penetanguishene, Ontario. It was a great experience because the school seems to live up to its Bill of Rights. Students told us how proud they are to be students at Burkevale. Some children we talked to told us that bullying seldom happens at Burkevale but in spite of that, the students were eager to learn more about ways they can deal with bullying and specifically how they can support each other. The ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ assemblies we presented today teach the value of community and these students showed us they understand many of these concepts already. Principal, Tim Mallon constantly encourages positive character growth in his students. Being around him during our visit proved his commitment to the character education he teaches daily, just by his example. He invited the students from St. Ann’s Catholic School in Penetanguisheen to join his students for the assemblies. Following the presentations, Mr. Mallon left us with several comments including the following: “Your Benny DL character and message really connected with our students. The mix of entertainment and serious reflection is a winning combination. Your presence capped off anti-bullying week perfectly!” Mr. Tim Mallon, Principal Burkedale Protestant Separate School, Penetanguishene Ontario.
Bill of Rights for SchoolsHere are Burkevale’s Bill of Rights: We have: 1. The right to be treated with respect. 2. The right to express our feelings as long as the rights of others are not violated, 3. The right to our own physical and mental space 4. The right to ask for help if and when we need it, 5. The right to ask for information, 6. The right to have a learning environment that is safe and secure.

School assemblies designed to raise bullying awareness – www.atfm.ca

Is Apple Acting Like a Bully Toward RIM?

This is RIM’s home territory; Waterloo, Ontario Canada. Home of Research In Motion’s Blackberry. But now, Apple has opened its own store in Waterloo, Ontario. Waterloo is one of the smaller Canadian cities playing host to an Apple store.

RIM seems to be having a rough time lately with some poor reviews of the Playbook and reported lower sales. Last month, RIM announced 2,000 job cuts worldwide with some of them being lost inWaterloo. Just this past week Sprint announced it had cancelled plans to include the Playbook on its network. Ouch! And now Apple has opened a store within a quick ten minute drive from RIM head offices. And to make matters worse, more than 200 people lined up to get first crack at the Apple products before the new Apple store actually opened on Saturday morning August 13.

The Apple and RIM Competition - Is It Bullying?

Bullying is an imbalance of power which may involve verbal, physical or social coercion. It is deliberate. It is usually not a one time event.
Does that definition fit with Apple and RIM?

I don’t believe it does apply to Apple and RIM. Bullying applies in a social context when a child begins to shy away from social interaction because of bullying. Bullying happens in the workplace when a staff member begins to feel shunned because a co-worker or boss is using their so-called power to make the staff member feel less valuable.

What do you think? Is Apple acting like a bully?

We offer bullying prevention programs to schools in the region of Waterloo Ontario and have recently visited Laurelwood Public School,Williamsburg School,Brigadoon School, Abraham Erb, Edna Stabler, Sandhills and others.

Maedith Radlein, Principal of N.A. MacEachern Public School inWaterloo commented:
“I would definitely recommend the ‘Stand Up Now’ assemblies. We were most pleased with all three divisions.”

Martha Knowlton, Principal of Abraham Erb Public School inWaterloo said:
“The students and teachers were totally engaged. The assemblies were awesome!”

Whether the bullying is corporate or a result of the children of the employees, call Stand Up Now Productions for presentations to deal head on with bullying behaviours.

www.standupnow dot ca or call 519-269-9837