Girl Scouts of Nassau County

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BACK TO SCHOOL – BACK TO BULLYING?
GIRL SCOUTS OF NASSAU COUNTY OFFERS ADVICE ON RELATIONAL AGGRESSION

Garden City, August 23, 2007 – While most children are eagerly anticipating the start of a new school year, others are dreading the bullying that lies ahead. The Girl Scouts of Nassau County has recognized this behavior, relational aggression or bullying, defined it as a behavior that harms others by damaging or manipulating one's relationships with peers, or by injuring one's feelings of social acceptance. The behavior all too often goes unnoticed by teachers and parents and action is only taken when bullying results in tragedy, as seen this past December in North Babylon.
 
Donna Ceravolo, Executive Director of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County offers tips to help identify and combat relational aggression. “These steps are geared for parents and children,” says Ms. Ceravolo. “We hope that by educating our communities about relational aggression, we will help put an end to it.”

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. Also, when a child tells you about the bullying make sure not to dismiss their accusations.

Get the school involved:
Inform the school about the bullying situation. Don’t contact the other parents directly. Let the school intervene.

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 everywhere focus on building courage, confidence and character.”
 
The Girl Scouts of Nassau County has been tackling relational aggression head on for more than a year. They have conducted 50 workshops to over 2200 people giving them the tools, tactics, and language to address bullying and social aggression. This year, 3,000 girls and the volunteers who mentor them, will 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, who make the world a better place. With 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 95th year, continues to strive to serve Every Girl, Everywhere.
 
For more information about the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, please contact Donna Rivera-Downey at 516-741-2550, ext. 260 or visit www.gsnc.org.