October is National Bullying Prevention Month
Launched in 2006 by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, National Bullying Prevention Month takes place every October with the goal of raising awareness, promoting kindness and inclusion, and educating parents, teachers, and communities about the serious impact of bullying.
How do children become bullies? How can we prevent it from happening? What can we do when bullying is already taking place?
Understanding why kids bully
Not all children bully for the same reasons and not all bullies come from similar backgrounds.
Some bullies are lashing out as a coping mechanism to deal with their own difficult situation. Others enjoy a healthy home life and are simply caving to peer pressure out of a desire to fit in with a group, even when the act of bullying goes against their own values or morals.
Getting to the root of why a child bullies others is the first step in preventing and addressing the behavior. Here are some of the most common drivers:
- Power Dynamics: Children may bully because they feel a need to assert dominance, gain control, or elevate their social status. These types of bullies typically target those who they perceive as weaker, different, vulnerable, or easily intimidated.
- Learned Behavior: One of the most common factors leading a child to become a bully is the modeling of aggressive behavior they witness or experience at home. Many bullies are bullied themselves, which drives the behavior as a means of overshadowing their own feelings of powerlessness.
- Lack of Empathy: Not all kids understand that bullying is wrong and some struggle to recognize the harm they’re causing. In certain cases, they may not feel any remorse for their actions.
- Attention-Seeking: Just like any other form of acting out, children may bully to gain attention from peers, parents, or teachers when they feel neglected or overlooked.
Actionable tips for bullying prevention
Effective strategies for preventing bullying require a coordinated effort between parents, schools, and members of the community. While there is no one-size-fit-all solution, a comprehensive approach can reduce the number of children who are victims of bullying.
- Education and Awareness: By working together to raise awareness about bullying and its negative effects, more adults will be able to recognize the presence of bullying with youth under their care. Programs teaching empathy, diversity, and kindness can foster a culture of respect and discourage bullying.
- Open Communication: Children who feel safe and supported are more likely to report incidents. Trusted adults must encourage open dialogue to help kids open up about the problems they are facing.
- Social-Emotional Skill Training: Social-emotional learning and coursework that teaches empathy, self-regulation, and conflict resolution helps children deal with their issues in a healthy manner before they turn to bullying for relief.
- Positive Role Models: Kids adopt the behaviors they witness. When adults and peers model kindness and inclusion, children are more likely to adopt these positive traits.
- Peer Support Programs: Peer-led initiatives, like mentoring and buddy systems, promote a sense of belonging and create a more inclusive environment that leads to a reduction in bullying.
Addressing bullying in a healthy and productive manner
Even with strong prevention efforts in place, bullying can still occur. This is why effective strategies for handling incidents are crucial to helping victims get through this stressful, and sometimes traumatic, experience in a healthy manner.
Providing emotional support through counseling, support groups, and parental involvement helps victims cope and build resilience. Addressing the bully’s behavior is equally important, as counseling and interventions are necessary to correct poor behaviors and promote healthier interactions.
Restorative practices focus on repairing the harm caused by bullying and rebuilding relationships. This approach encourages accountability and empathy, allowing both the victim and the bully to move forward in a positive direction.
How to participate in National Bullying Prevention Month
One of the best ways to get involved with bullying prevention is to participate in Unity Day. Unity Day is an annual event dedicated to promoting kindness, acceptance, and inclusion, and to standing up against bullying. Unity Day 2024 is scheduled for October 16th.
On Unity Day, wear orange to show your support. The color orange was chosen for its association with safety and visibility, symbolizing the message that no one should feel alone or unsafe due to bullying. You can also share your own personal stories with bullying on social media, with the hashtag #UnityDay to spread the message further.
Help Thompson fight bullying
At Thompson, we guide victims of bullying to work through their trauma. With your support, we can help even more children rewrite their narrative and thrive.