A recent report released by the Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) documenting students' accounts of bullying points to the trend that bullying is on the decline in schools in the area.
Attitudes towards bullying have certainly come a long way since today's adults were in school. Schools seem to be taking a more active role in dealing with bullying and preventing it from starting. Initiatives in local schools from the youth ministry to Helping Our Peers Everywhere (H.O.P.E.) and various other leadership programs are helping students become responsible and empathetic individuals.
Students should continue to be encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities to help boost their self-confidence and leadership skills. When students feel good about themselves, they are less likely to bring others down.
Guest speaker Dwayne Peace came to Bonnyville a few months ago and spoke on a variety of topics, including bullying. He showed a valuable and, at times, emotional film about a group of students who facilitated Challenge Day to help stop bullying in school. They worked to break down barriers by asking students to cross a line if they had ever been judged for their skin colour or body size. All students crossed the line when asked if they had ever been judged for their appearance.
Students were also put in groups with students they didn't usually interact with to share personal things others did not know about them. At the end of the film, students emotionally apologized to other students explaining how they did not understand how hurtful their words and actions were.
At Peace's meeting for parents, the film had some people in the audience teary-eyed. Peace said after he showed the entire film to Bonnyville students, they applauded, because “they get it,” that bullying must stop.
Peace had also raised a valuable point about how children's attitudes towards bullying are fostered not only in school, but at home too. He called bullying a “societal problem.”
Local schools have been doing well teaching students about bullying, as evidenced by school programs and the results of LCSD's bullying report. Coupled with reinforcement at home, this community is sure to see a caring generation.
