News

Battling the bullies

Program helps protect children against school toughs

Info for parents / guardians Bullies: a significant problem

BY HELENA COLE
Winnipeg Health Region
Wave, May / June 2009

It can start with something relatively minor - a bit of teasing on the playground or a child getting left off the invitation list for a birthday party.

But what may seem at first glance to be nothing more than unkind or selfish behaviour can escalate into something much more mean-spirited and serious - bullying.

Technically, bullying is defined as the act of intentionally harming someone physically or psychologically repeatedly over time. And according to Public Safety Canada, it can include physical actions, such as punching and kicking; verbal actions, such as threats and name-calling; and social exclusion, such as ignoring and isolating someone on the playground or in the school cafeteria.

Experts agree that bullying is a serious issue in Canada. A recent survey published by Public Safety Canada suggests that about 8 per cent of students between the ages of 12 and 19 report being bullied on a weekly basis.

This is a problem because bullying can have a very serious effect on a child's health and well-being. Research shows that it can inhibit a child's ability to learn and leave him or her feeling fearful and sad. It can also cause depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Indeed, according to Public Safety Canada, male victims of bullying are five times more likely to be depressed and girls are three times more likely to be depressed than their respective classmates.

While bullying has never been condoned, it's only recently that health experts and educators have begun to understand its true impact and take action to address it. One example of this effort in Winnipeg revolves around Safe Schools Manitoba. As the name suggests, Safe Schools Manitoba is a province wide partnership of organizations that all have one goal in mind: making Manitoba schools and communities safer.

Mary Hall, Director of Safe Schools Manitoba, says bullying is high on the list of issues her group is working to address. To that end, Safe Schools Manitoba is helping local schools implement the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, a pilot project aimed at alleviating the problem.

The program was developed in Norway by Dan Olweus, who has spent more than three decades studying bullying in school children and youth. Among other things, the program calls for the creation of a Bullying Prevention Co-ordination Committee, strict rules against bullying, monitoring of bullying "hotspots," and onthe- spot intervention against bullies.

"Bullying has been able to hide," says Hall. "The Olweus program follows bullying in all its forms, at the school, class and individual level. It's a whole community approach, and it's been extensively evaluated and proven to have significant value in the overall reduction in bullying in the schools."

Several Winnipeg schools have adopted the program, including St. Ignatius, Van Walleghem, Tuxedo Park, and Laidlaw.

Leslie Wurtak, Principal at Laidlaw School, says the Olweus program is a resource-rich teaching tool that promotes a deeper understanding of bullying behaviour, including group participation and bystander behaviour. "Bullying can be an issue in any social situation. The goal of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is to change the forms around bullying behaviour, thus creating a school climate where bullying is less likely to occur. The program focusses on improved peer relations and safe, caring school climates that support student learning."

Classroom meetings and discussions, and raising student awareness is an important part of the program, she says. "One of the rules in the program is that the kids will come forward and tell an adult if they witness bullying or unkind behaviour," Wurtak says. "It gives kids a voice, and lets them know that they can make a difference."

And keeping lines of communication open with staff, students, and parents is an important aspect in keeping bullying at bay. If a staff person or a parent is made aware of a situation, they can intervene and deal with it. "Immediate adult intervention is crucial. To be effective, adults need to know what to watch and listen for, and how to be responsive to the needs of the child."

Michelle Warren, Clinical Psychologist with Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre, says bullying behaviour is a serious problem for children of all ages, both physically and psychologically. "In the short term, it can create anxiety, depression and self-doubt in the victim," she says.

If a parent or teacher suspects a child is being victimized, there will likely be some indicators. "Sleep problems, changes in appetite, stomach aches, irritability, headaches, and school avoidance could all be signs that a child is being bullied," she says.

Taking action is important. Parents and teachers can encourage communication and let kids know it's okay to talk about it. Asking how they feel if they encounter bullying behaviour towards themselves or others, sharing their own experiences, and empathybuilding are all good strategies that will help the child feel empowered, Warren says.

"I always let the victim of bullying know their life will get better when they are out of this situation," Warren says.

And while it's natural to feel concern for the victims of bullying, it's important that children engaging in bullying receive attention, too, because this pattern of behaviour can have long-term negative effects for them, Warren says. "Identify the inappropriate behaviours rather than label the child as a bully."

Certain behaviours can be red flags for bullying. A youth's aggressive behaviour towards a parent or teacher, for example, may signal a tendency towards bullying his or her peers as well.

And be aware that girls and boys have different ways of bullying. "Boys engage in more physical forms of bullying. Girls, on the other hand, tend more towards relational aggression - socially isolating someone or rejecting them and spreading nasty rumours," Warren says. "Victims of bullying are often physically smaller and tend to be somewhat self conscious or anxious to begin with."

While bullying is a problem, Hall says that it is not an insurmountable one. "By working together, families and schools can put an end to bullying," she says.

Helena Cole is a Winnipeg writer.

	About Wave Wave is published six times a year by the Winnipeg Health Region in cooperation with the Winnipeg Free Press. It is available at newsstands, hospitals and clinics throughout Winnipeg, as well as McNally Robinson Books. Read the May / June 2009 issue of Wave