October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month.
It is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Canadian Autism Awareness Month, Pregnancy Loss and Infant Loss Awareness Month, National Cyber Security Awareness Month and so on. There are more than 40 observances this month, but Amanda Todd's suicide due to offline and cyber bullying has started a Canadian movement and trending on Twitter (#RIPAmandaTodd) to raise awareness of this age old form of victimization; especially since October is National Anti-Cyberbullying Awareness Month, too.
National Bullying Prevention Month History (2006 - 2012)
PACER's National Center for Bullying Prevention founded National Bullying Prevention Month in 2006. It was originally called the National Bullying and Awareness Week and scheduled for the 1st week in October. In 2010, the observance was extended to the month of October and renamed National Bullying Prevention Month. The goal is to raise awareness of the devastating effects of bullying in schools, homes, communities. Most importantly, it is a movement to stop bullying which damages self-esteem, depression, anxiety and can eventually lead to sexual promiscuity and diseases, drug and alcohol usage, cutting, eating disorders and suicide.
Amanda Todd Committed Suicide 10/10/2012 @ 15 Years Old
Amanda Todd posted this video a few weeks before hanging herself. It was taken down and then reposted on the YouTube channel where I found this video. Amanda had experienced years of bullying due to two mistakes she had made as a young teen. It is a tragic end to what some consider a situation where her parents should have taken better control (her mother is computer savvy and works in the school district), though most parents of a teen know that teenagers are the least controllable of all ages. Sometimes life's circumstances do not permit the to take such situations into ones own hands. In this case, an anonymous online stalker kept the "mistake" Amanda made going no matter what school she was in. Amanda Todd was just shy of 16 years old when she committed suicide; she was 12 years old when she flashed the boys during an online chat. Regardless, Amanda Todd's story is tragic and this video speaks volumes for many other teen girls that have experienced the same bullying from peers.
Carol Todd Speaks Out About Her Daughters Death - http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Amanda+Todd+speaks+about+daughter+death/7386696/story.html
B.C. teen's suicide could lead to criminal charges
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/10/13/bc-amanda-todd-suicide-charges.html
Tyler - Age 16 - Suicide Story
This video is from Tyler. He is a 16 year old cutter than turned to friends for help after considering the impact his committing suicide would have on his parents and friends.
Brooke DaLion - My Bullying Story
Brooke was a 16 year old High School sophomore when she posted this video (April 2, 2012). It shares how years of bullying affected her life (5th grade until sophomore year) and how she started to overcome this bullying problem after joining the school choir. Ultimately, it was the support of those new friends.
BULLYING VIDEOS / SUICIDE VIDEOS
YouTube has years of videos like these. Some with kids telling their stories by note cards and others feeling confident enough to literally "speak up" about the bullying and the effects it had on their lives. Bullying is NOT a new problem, but the following organizations, including McGruff the crime dog, are doing to help raise awareness and implement programs to stop bullying among teens, tweens and school age children.StopBullying.gov
http://www.stopbullying.gov
National Crime Prevention Council
http://www.ncpc.org/cyberbullying
Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center
http://www.pacer.org/bullying/
Bullying Prevention Resource Guide
http://www.bullyingprevention.org/
NAESP Bullying Prevention Resources
http://www.naesp.org/bullying-prevention-resources
Use these links ... Share these link ... Discuss with your children and educators. I know from experience with my children that schools are not always on top of the bullying situations as they should be; even if they have implemented an official Bully Prevention program. It is our job as parents to make sure these bullying situations are handled correctly whether it is your child that is getting bullied or your child is a bully. Additionally, make sure to monitor your child's Internet and cell phone usage for such situations. Make your teens understand that they need to delete any naked or risky pictures they receive because it is considered pornography and they can get in trouble; that they need to tell on the sender - if not the actual person - because it may very well be a bullying situation.
In Motherly Love,
Mother Baby Child
