National Bullying Prevention Month

National Bullying Prevention Month is a campaign in the United States founded in 2006 by PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention.^[1] The campaign is held during the month of October and unites communities nationwide to educate and raise awareness of bullying prevention. Traditionally held the first week in October, the event was expanded in 2010 to include activities, education, and awareness building for the entire month. National Bullying Prevention Month is recognized in communities across the United States, with hundreds of schools and organizations signing on as partners. Facebook,^[2] CNN^[3] and Yahoo! Kids^[4] have supported the month through media outreach and dissemination.

PACER developed the initial campaign National Bullying Prevention and Awareness Week in response to the need to raise awareness of bullying, as it was historically viewed "a childhood rite of passage" and believed that bullying "made kids tougher", when the reality is that bullying has devastating effects such as school avoidance, loss of self esteem, increased anxiety, and depression. PACER reached out to the community through partnerships with education based organizations such as National PTA, American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association to provide schools, parents and students with resources to respond to bullying behavior and to begin the shift of societal acceptance of bullying to social change of addressing the issue through education and support. PACER disseminated nationwide press releases through the partners and media channels, encouraging a call to action to educate the community about their role in bullying prevention, which provided the groundwork for the campaign to be consistently recognized as an annual event.

History

October 2011 | National Bullying Prevention Month

The sixth annual event will be held in October 2011 and will include opportunities to partner, share activities, and support the movement.

October 2010 | National Bullying Prevention Month

The fifth annual event grows from a week to a month with October^[5] designated National Bullying Prevention Month which unites communities nationwide to raise awareness of bullying prevention. The event is expanded to include free, downloadable activities, education, and awareness building for the entire month and the message is realigned to engage, educate and inspire other to join the movement. Educators, students, families, and individuals who care about students access the tools to address bullying in their school, recreational program, and community organizations. Over 700 partners and champions joined PACER Center against bullying join the cause. Yahoo! Kids features the campaign on their site for the third year and Facebook, Demi Lovato and PACER partner to reach millions on a cyberbullying prevention message. The month is featured on CNN's Anderson Coopers Town Hall meetings. Ellen DeGeneres^[6] lists PACER Center as a bullying prevention resource on her website along with several other national media resources, such as CNN.com.

2009, Oct. 4 -10 | National Bullying Prevention Week

The fourth annual National Bullying Prevention Week was held Oct. 4 - 10, 2009.^[7] The campaign title is condensed and retitled to "National Bullying Prevention Week". The mission of the week is realigned to encourage children, teens, adults, schools, and communities across the country to partner with PACER Center to prevent bullying. The movement is being given a boost with the launch of [1] -- a relevant, edgy Website created by and for teens. In addition to videos, stories, blogs, and social networking, the site features a toolbox of things teens and schools can do to address bullying—from creating their own videos to performing role plays for younger students. Teen sensation, Demi Lovato, also becomes the spokesperson^[8] for PACER and the cause. A free, downloadable classroom toolkit is added to the campaign, along with interactive role plays. Over 300 partners sign for the event. Yahoo! Kids features the campaign on their site for the second year.

2008, Oct. 5 -11 | National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week

The third annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week was held Oct. 5 - 11, 2008.^[9] It was sponsored by PACER Center's National Center for Bullying Prevention. Cosponsors were the National PTA, National Education Association, American Federation for Teachers, National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, and School Social Work Association of America. Yahoo! Kids features the week long campaign on their website. Over 100 partners join the cause online.

2007, Oct. 21 - 27 | National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week

The second annual National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week was held Oct. 21 - 27, 2007.^[10] It was sponsored by PACER Center's National Center for Bullying Prevention. Cosponsors were the National PTA, National Education Association, American Federation for Teachers, National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, and School Social Work Association of America. Teachers, parents, and children nationwide are encouraged to increase community awareness about the prevalence and impact of bullying on all children. Activities and materials such as contests, toolkits, and online bullying prevention training are available at [2].

2006, Oct. 22 - 28 | National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week Empowers Schools, Parents to End Childhood Harassment

National Bullying Prevention Awareness Week was held Oct. 22 - 28, 2006.^[11] It is sponsored by PACER Center and cosponsored by National PTA, National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education, and National Education Association. Teachers, parents, and children nationwide were encouraged to use bullying prevention activities and materials at PACER's interactive, animated website for elementary school students [3] to help end bullying.

"Childhood bullying is a significant problem nationwide," said Paula F. Goldberg, executive director of PACER, a national parent center located in Minnesota. "It can cause school absenteeism, mental and physical stress, poor school performance, poor self-esteem, and, in some cases, school violence. Statistics show that 160,000 children in the United States miss school each day as a result of being bullied. That's not acceptable. "Teachers and parents can play a critical role in creating a climate where bullying is not tolerated. When adults and children stand together, bullying ends," Goldberg said.

See also

• PACER Teens Against Bullying
• PACER Kids Against Bullying
• PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center
• PACER Center - Champions for Children with Disabilities
• Parent Center Network

References

1. ^ Morgan Hill Times Article
2. ^ Memi Support
3. ^ CNN.com posting - Activist Inspired by Down syndrome Son
4. ^ Yahoo! Kids Editor Blog Post
5. ^ The Bullying Stops Here
6. ^ Ellen Degeneres
7. ^ PR Newswire
8. ^ Great Schools Web site
9. ^ CHADD of Utah
10. ^ All Business
11. ^ Morgan Hill Times Article

External links

• Stop Bullying Now [4]
• Youth Frontiers - Building Positive School Communities [5]
• Thursday's Child (operates 24-hour hotline for endangered children, including those being bullied at 1 (800) USA KIDS) [6]
• The Trevor Project [7]
• Cartoon Network - Stop Bullying, Speak Up [8]
• Southern Poverty Law Center [9]