Anti-Bullying Advocacy Plan

Niah Redmond
Introduction
● Bullying is a pressing issue within our schools
worldwide.

● According to the CDC 14%of public schools report

that bullying happens once a week.

● With proper prevention and education we can

significantly decrease the amount of bullying by
continuing to make children aware of bullying and its
consequences.
What is Bullying?

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or
perceived power imbalance.

Types of bullying
● Threatening
Verbal Bullying: Saying or
01 writing rude/mean things to an
individual
●
●
●
Teasing
Taunting
Excessive Name Calling

Social Bullying: Hurting ● Harassing someone online

02 someone’s relationships or
reputation.
●
●
●
Spreading rumors
Embarrassing someone in public on purpose
Excluding others on purpose
Physical Bullying: Harming
● Hitting/kicking

03 someone physically cause harm/

discomfort to their body or
●
●
Spitting
Damaging someone’s belongings
possessions.
Signs of bullying
Students who may be getting bullied may exhibit changes in behavior such as:
● Not participating in class activities
● Acting withdraw from school
● Unexplained injuries/bruises
● Feeling sick more frequently/faking sick
● Drop in grades
● Behavior changes
● Decrease in appetite
Relevant Data
● 25% of Elementary school students are involved in bullying in some fashion, either as the bully or
the victim (Jenson & Dieterich, 2007)
● In 2020 ⅕ of students report being bullied, including physical and emotional bullying
● Males report higher rates of physical bullying
● Females report more psychological bullying and being “purposely left out” of activities or from
friend groups
● Students of Color- 23% african american, 16% hispanic, 7% asian students report being bullied at
school because of bias
● LBGTQ Students- 70% report verbal bullying due to sexual orientation, 59.1% for their gender
expression, and 27.8% due to gender.
● Cyber bullying (ages 9-12)- Tweens report cyber bullying more than children ages 4-8
○ More access to the internet and social media is leading to a rise in cyber bullying
Advocacy & Prevention Strategies
Guidance Lesson (Grades 3-5)
Objective:
Students will learn about the negative effects of cliques, what bullying is and what it looks like,
how to be a better friend to people who are being bullied, and what to do if they are experiencing bullying.
The main goal of the lesson is to teach students about how empathy can help friends in need and prevent
bullying behavior.

Evaluation:
By the end of this lesson students should have a better grasp on what bullying is, how exclusivity and
cliques can be hurtful, what to do when we see someone being bullied or if they are the victims of bullying,
and how to use empathy in a bullying event. Each student will be given a copy of the bullying report form
for self, and the report form for others. Counselors will close by stating the schools zero tolerance policy and
reminding them that if they need to talk to someone about bullying they can always come see the counselors
or fill out a report form.
What is Empathy?
● The Youth Matters anti bullying program for elementary schools emphasize building
important socioemotional skills (ie. empathy)
● Empathy- The ability to understand and share the feelings of another
● Teaching empathetic listening skills can be beneficial for students attempting to
connect with their peers and encourages healthy conversations
○ Difficult concept for young children to understand
Other Discussion Points
● Asking important questions first
○ Is it safe for me to get involved?
○ Is there a teacher or counselor I can tell?
○ How can I stand up for my friend?
● Check on your friend (the victim)
○ Ask them if they are okay
○ Ask if they want to tell the teacher or counselor
○ Be an empathetic listener if they want to talk to you about what happened
○ Fill out a report form for your friend or with your friend and drop it in the counselor or teachers box
Conclusion

Given our plan of action we are fully equipped to decrease bullying in our school by:
● Educating students and staffers
● Preventive intervention strategies
● Staying connected to relevant data
 Resources
American School Counselor Association (2019). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Fourth Edition.
Alexandria VA: Author.

Bullying statistics. Bullying Statistics - National Bullying Prevention Center. (2020, November). Retrieved November 20, 2021, from
https://www.pacer.org/bullying/info/stats.asp.

Caravita, Di Blasio, P., & Salmivalli, C. (2009). Unique and Interactive Effects of Empathy and Social Status on Involvement in Bullying. Social
Development (Oxford, England), 18(1), 140–163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2008.00465.x

Erford, B. T. (2019). Transforming the School Counseling Profession (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Jenson, & Dieterich, W. A. (2007). Effects of a Skills-based Prevention Program on Bullying and Bully Victimization among Elementary School
Children. Prevention Science, 8(4), 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-007-0076-3

Rawlings, & Stoddard, S. A. (2019). A Critical Review of Anti‐Bullying Programs in North American Elementary Schools. The Journal of School
Health, 89(9), 759–780. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12814

Veenstra, Lindenberg, S., Oldehinkel, A. J., Winter, A. F. D., Verhulst, F. C., & Ormel, J. (2005). Bullying and Victimization in Elementary Schools: A
Comparison of Bullies, Victims, Bully/Victims, and Uninvolved Preadolescents. Developmental Psychology, 41(4), 672–682.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.41.4.672
Questions