National Bullying Prevention Month Inspires Action and Kindness

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, when students across the nation participate in a variety of activities designed to increase awareness of bullying and promote understanding of how to stop bullying in American schools. The organization PACER founded the campaign against bullying in 2006 and has reached out to cities and towns everywhere, setting up events, speakers, and activities to educate students about the horrible and long lasting effects of bullying and how to prevent it.

According to PACER, one out of every five students in the U.S. reports being bullied, not including those too afraid to speak up for themselves or others. One study shows that only 36% of children who are bullied do not ever report it (Petrosina). These heartbreaking statistics reveal the importance of the anti-bullying movement .

Many students may feel unsure of how to respond when they see someone being bullied. Professionals suggest that asking after others and paying attention to the words and actions of others can help. Students can take an even bigger step by choosing kindness and stepping in immediately when they see bullying.

Most people understand that jokes or friendly teasing can sometimes result in hurt feelings, even though the speaker did not intend to hurt someone, and it would be ridiculous to expect that we as a society would sit in a circle and treat everyone with kid-gloves all of the time to avoid hurt feelings. However, bullying is when people intentionally target others and try to hurt them, and when this happens the victim can suffer serious, irreversible damage. In these circumstances we need to support one another more than usual.

This is why the anti-bullying movement asks students to respect one another and to treat someone with an unfamiliar life story or experience with the same respect given to people whose backgrounds are familiar. PACER is not the only organization that tries to help students understand how to stop bullying. STOMP Out Bullying encourages people everywhere to wear blue on October 7th, and STAND UP For Others promotes challenges during the week of October 21-24 designed to create better relationships in communities. STAND UP activities includes challenges like making friends with someone you’ve never talked to or joining someone who is sitting alone at lunch.

The effects of bullying can be long-lasting. One study conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that “Students who experience bullying are at increased risk for poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression.” PACER’s anti-bullying page explains that victims of bullying are 2.6 times more likely to consider suicide than those who are not targeted by bullies.

According to the American Psychological Association, stopping bullying at school is very important because kids sometimes spend more time at school than they do with their parents. Technology is part of kids’ lives at school as well, leading to opportunities for cyberbullying.

A lot of attention is given to the victims of bullying, but students may be surprised to learn that bullying can actually damage the bully as well as the victim. The CDC reports that bullies often demonstrate academic problems, issues with substance abuse, and violent behavior for the rest of their lives. It turns out that bullying hurts both the perpetrator and the victim, so stopping bullying is important to everyone. The month of October is a time to help educate students and adults, but students should be vigilant about the dangers of bullying during every month. To learn more, visit PACER’s anti-bullying sites.