Violence/Bullying

Youth violence can take the form of bullying, sexual harassment, gang involvement or violence caused by drug or alcohol use. Bullying, perhaps the most common form of violence that youth experience, can be physical actions, words and social exclusion. Bullying is a repeated pattern of behavior intended to hurt the target. Both boys and girls engage in bullying behavior. Cyber bullying, using technology to bully, can spread the harm across the school, state or nation.

When bullying is identified, the earlier the better, students, family members and school staff can respond in the following ways:

• Attend to the needs of the person targeted for bullying
• Help the bully to make amends to the person they hurt
• Ask bystanders what they can do to help stop it
• Children and youth should tell adults about bullying
• Adults need to take action to ensure the safety of all children/youth
• All adults should be clear that hurtful behavior is not acceptable in this school, neighborhood and/or workplace

Helping children and youth learn and practice kindness, caring and politeness can prevent or reduce bullying. Making students who bully accountable by making amends and doing community service can be more useful in changing behavior than just using punishment.