Be inspired. Get involved!
Bullying Awareness Week (November 17-21) reminds all of us of the importance of bullying prevention, and it is a great springboard for starting conversations, accessing new resources, and engaging in fresh and relevant learning activities with children and youth. Of course, maintaining a commitment to respectful and positive relationships is a value that is critical throughout the entire year, but the third week of November is a great time to check in with children and youth. Now that the school year is well underway peer relationships at school, within sport teams and community programs are becoming consolidated. Are the children and youth in your care feeling safe, included, and able to participate with confidence? When adults open up these conversations, it sends a message that they genuinely care about what it feels like to be a young person in a complex social world. Some children and youth may have a great deal to say as soon as you start a conversation. Others may be more reticent to share their experiences, whether positive or negative. Regardless, opening up the conversation now increases the chances that children and youth will see you as a resource, and come to you in the future if they need support.
PREVNet is thrilled to bring you this newsletter with up to date and evidence-based information that focuses on cyberbullying and digital citizenship. We thank Crystal Dittrick (University of Calgary) and Hezron Z. Onditi (University of British Columbia), two of PREVNet’s graduate students, for their creativity and passion in taking the lead on the writing of this newsletter.
We’re also excited about the launch of three INFOGRAPHICS prepared by Taylor Katzel (an undergraduate student at Queen’s University) and a new resource for teachers: BULLYING PREVENTION FACTS AND TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS.
We encourage everyone to read these resources thoroughly and share them widely. As well, we are so impressed and gratified to the see the quality of the learning activities for children and youth created by our partner organizations in time for Bullying Awareness Week. We encourage you to not only read and disseminate the resources, but to get involved! Watch the bullying themed episodes on Family Channel, engage in learning activities created by MediaSmarts, join the blog post conversation hosted by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport on November 17, to name but a few ideas!
We hope you find this special Bullying Awareness Week edition of PREVspectives interesting and informative, and as always, we’re happy to hear what you think. You can email us at prevnet@queensu.ca. Be kind to one another.
Debra Pepler and Wendy Craig
PREVNet's Scientific Co-Directors
In this issue:
- What's New with PREVNet?
- What Makes Youth More Likely to Engage in Cyberbullying Behaviours?
- How Can Youth who Witness Bullying Online Stand Up for Youth who are Victimized?
- Building a Digital Citizen: How Adults Can Promote Youth to Engage Positively in Social Media
- Bullying Awareness Week 2014: Partner Activities