How Parents and Agents Can Address Bullying with Youth (continued)

1. Discuss the expanded definition of bullying so that parents and youth understand what now constitutes bullying. For example, bullying can now occur in electronic media such as e-mail, blogs, and instant messaging.

2. Encourage parents and youth to become more open-minded, tolerant, and accepting. Help them to see things from other perspectives with an understanding of different cultures, values, and norms.

3. Encourage children to report bullying, even when they are afraid to do so. Teach them that it is only when the silence is broken that the real work may begin.

4. Build conflict resolution skills by providing demonstrations of how to use steps provided by some model programs proven to be effective. Provide leadership that demonstrates how to manage conflict in ways that helps youth grow, continuously learn, and become better citizens.

5. Listen carefully and encourage the listening skills of others. Allow and encourage an open dialogue that shows how to get everyone's point of view out in the open.

6. Brainstorm solutions to the conflict and consider how each alternative solution may prompt a different outcome.

7. Discuss the proper use of technology in the home and at school. Encourage parents, students, and educators to use home and school computers for productive use, discourage destructive internet chatting and instruct parents on the careful and sporadic monitoring of Internet searches and Web sites created by youth.

8. Consider involving your pediatrician when physiological and/or psychological symptoms appear and are unexplained.

9. Build supportive home environments that allow families to discuss problems together and learn how to deal with frustration, stress, and anger.

10. Stay involved in local schools and activities for youth. Build on positive assets and protective factors for the individual, youth, and community.

References

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Barnett, R.V., Adler, A., Easton, J.O., & Howard, K.P. (2001). An evaluation of Peace Education Foundations Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Program. School Business Affairs, Volume 67, Number 7, pp. July 2001.

Batsche, G.M., & Knoff, H.M.(1994). Bullies and their victims: Understanding a pervasive problem in the schools. School Psychology Review, 23(2), 165-174.

Charach, A., Pepler, D., & Zeigler, S. (1995). Bullying at school--a Canadian perspective: A survey of problems and suggestions for intervention. Education Canada, 35(1), 12-18.

Nolin, M.J., Davies, E., & Chandler, K. (1995). Student Victimization at school. National Center for Educational Statistics. Statistics in Brief (NCES 95-204).

Oliver, R., Hoover, J.H., & Hazler, R. (1994). The perceived roles of bullying in small-town Midwestern schools. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72(4), 416-419.

Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.

Peck, P. (2002). School Bullying Widespread. Internet: WebMD. Online at: [http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/2606.2001).

Slaby, R.G., Wilson-Brewer, R., & Dash, K. (1994). Aggressors, Victims, and Bystanders: Thinking and Acting to Prevent Violence. Newton, MA: Education Development Center, Inc.

Whitney, I., & Smith, P.K. (1993). A survey of the nature and extent of bullying in junior/middle and secondary schools. Educational Research, 35(1), 3-25.