BACK TO SCHOOL – BACK TO BULLYING?
--GIRL SCOUTS OF NASSAU COUNTY OFFERS TIPS ON COMBATING BULLIES--
Garden City, August 18, 2008 – With the new school year just around the corner, parents and children are gearing up to buy back to school clothes and supplies. Some children are enjoying the last bit of summer and eagerly anticipating the start of the new school year, while others are dreading what lies ahead due to the bullying that faces them upon their return.
The Girl Scouts of Nassau County has recognized this behavior, relational aggression or social bullying, defined as a behavior that harms others by damaging or manipulating one's relationships with peers, or by injuring one's feelings of social acceptance, and offers the following tips to children and parents when faced with bullying.
“We hope that by educating the community about relational aggression, we will help put an end to this hurtful and harmful behavior,” says Donna Ceravolo, Executive Director of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County.
Explain the problem:
Inform and educate your children about bullying at an early age. The more they know of the behavior the better prepared they will be to handle and overcome it.
Listen closely:
If you believe your child may be experiencing bullying, don’t shy away from it, make sure to ask and find out the truth what is happening, who are the players, where this behavior occurs. Also, when a child tells you about the bullying make sure not to dismiss their accusations. When parents and other adults in leadership positions chose to dismiss the concerns of a child who is being teased, bullied or harassed, this gives more power to the aggressor and further punishes the child who is being targeted.
Get the school involved:
Inform the school about the bullying situation. Don’t contact the other parents directly. Let the school intervene. No child should have to tolerate a hostile environment at school or on the bus; all schools have an obligation to provide a safe environment for every child.
Don’t fight back:
Hitting or yelling back at the bully is not the best way to solve the problem. Parents can help prepare their children for these situations by role playing and showing their children how they can react toward any type of bullying situation.
Monitor the use of electronics:
Parents need to be aware that social aggression and bullying no longer just occur at school or on the bus. The internet, through email and social networking sites such as My Space, instant messaging and the use of small cameras in cell phones and other devices can be used to spread rumors, distribute unauthorized info and pictures and do all sorts of social damage to a child.
Create a soothing environment:
“We tell our girls a good way to cope with a stressful situation like a school bully, is to find a place that’s comforting, where they can be themselves,” says Ms. Ceravolo. “Girl Scouts is a ‘safe haven’ where girls learn to be strong individuals and differences are embraced.”
The Girl Scouts of Nassau County has been tackling relational aggression head on for more than two years. They have conducted more than 125 workshops to more than 3700 people giving them the tools, tactics, and language to address bullying and social aggression. This year, girls and the volunteers who mentor them, will again participate in a program teaching girls about bullying, the power of the bystander, good popular and bad popular, leadership and cyberbullying.
Girl Scouts of Nassau County builds girls of courage, confidence and character. Girl Scouting in Nassau County creates an accepting and nurturing environment, which gives girls a chance to build character and receive skills for success in the real world. In partnership with committed adult volunteers, girls develop qualities that will serve them throughout their lives, like leadership, strong values, social conscience, and conviction about their own potential and self-worth. With more than 22,000 girl and 7,000 adult members, Girl Scouts of Nassau County has become the preeminent organization and leading authority for girls. The organization, now in its 96th year, continues to make the world a better place one girl at a time.
For more information on the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, or to request a presentation to your group on social bullying call Donna Rivera Downey 516 741-2550 at ext. 260, or visit www.gsnc.org.