Do you know if your child has ever been bullied at school? Probably not.
With the school year in full swing, students are managing the day-to-day routines of class work, homework and extracurricular activities. Still, many other children struggle to manage the additional stress of being bullied. Kids who bully others use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. It’s a problem that can greatly damage a young person’s feelings of safety and sense of well-being, and yet most victims of bullying never report it or ask for help. In fact, government studies show only 20 to 30-percent of all incidents are ever reported to adults.
AYS staff members are trained to spot and stop bullying behavior among students. The training is led by Prevent Child Abuse Indiana and includes learning ways to help students who have been affected by bullying. Peggy Bane is the director of the AYS program in North Montgomery Community School Corporation, and she knows first-hand how helpful the training can be.
“Because we build a lot of trust into our AYS program, children will sometimes share personal experiences with the class. Telling us exactly how they felt as a victim of being bullied allows us the best opportunity to teach appropriate ways to handle a bullying situation.”
AYS has always maintained a commitment to enrich children’s lives, and this training enhances that commitment. Teaching children to understand different cultures and to embrace individuality is a crucial step to preventing bullying.