It’s that time of year again. If you’re a parent of a school-aged child, things have become pretty hectic about now with the return to class for most kids this month.

But the nerves kids feel as a result of homework due, pop quizzes, group assignment, tests and everyday peer pressure could pale in comparison to an activity that is becoming recognized as an epidemic on campuses nationwide: bullying.

Nonprofits or charities working on this crucial issue take note: The federal government is preparing to send out a call for proposals from sector organizations to fund programs dedicated to combating bullying.

A 2011 report by Public Safety Canada noted that incidences of bullying in Canada are at an alarming level. Some statistics from the comprehensive government document include the following figures: 6% of students aged 12 to 19 report bullying others on a weekly basis; 8% report that they are victims of bullying weekly; and 1% report that they are both victimized and bully others on a weekly basis.

Another statistic revealed that 16% of Toronto youth in grades 7 to 9 were bullied on more than 12 occasions over the course of one school year.

A call to arms

In a talk to parents, nonprofits and interested participants at a Truro, NB, roundtable on bullying last month, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews made it clear that the government is prepared to devote more resources towards eradicating bullying to help make lives better for all citizens.

He said his ministry, through its National Crime Prevention Centre, would soon issue a call for proposals for organizations interested in “developing new and innovative ways to address all forms of youth crime, including bullying.”

Push me. Pull you.

The ministry of public safety further breaks down the bullying phenomenon into three distinct categories observed in its study of the subject.

1. Physical bullying: According to the report, 10 to 15% of students aged 11 to 15 have been involved in weekly physical bullying. Additionally, 25 to 30% of students reported involvement in monthly physical bullying.

2. Verbal bullying: 10 to 15% of all students reported involvement in weekly verbal bullying, with nearly twice as many students reporting being victims of verbal bullying then engaging in verbal bullying themselves.

3. Social bullying: According to one study, 41% of all students in grades 4 to 7 reported that they were victims of social bullying and/or bullied others monthly.

Communal reaction

In response to these numbers, the government and various nonprofits are attempting to stem the bullying tide with proactive programming aimed primarily at youth across the country.

Toews forcefully spoke out on traditional bullying and cyber bullying at the August 21 roundtable.

He called bullying a “growing concern” and a “reprehensible behavior” that needs to be dealt with.

“Children and youth who experience bullying are at a higher risk of sustained mental health problems throughout their lives, which can potentially lead to depression, chronic illnesses, and even suicide,” Toews said, echoing findings in the report on the ministry’s website.

“Ladies and gentlemen, bullying can have lasting and devastating impacts on lives. It can and does point to other forms of delinquent behavior, which ultimately threatens the safety and security of our communities. Everyone has a role to play in helping to prevent bullying from happening. All of us can and should work together to help ensure that our children are safe and secure wherever they are,” he said.

To that end, Toews pointed out that the government, in conjunction with the RCMP and the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Innovation Strategy are funding projects that “promote positive mental health and help children, youth and families develop ways to identify and fight various forms of bullying.”

One such program is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s WITS (Walk Away, Ignore, Talk it Out, and Seek Help) Bullying Prevention initiative. It was modeled on the original WITS program developed by educators and local police school liaisons in BC in the mid 1990s.

Launched as a pilot program in December 2011, the Mounties partnered with the University of Victoria, PREVNet and the Rock Solid Foundation to train officers on how to understand and prevent bullying in elementary school aged children.

Conceived primarily as a tool to help address growing youth violence among Aboriginal youth and in northern communities, the RCMP’s WITS initiative has since made its way through various communities across the country with the government envisioning more expansion down the line.

“The goal of the program is to create communities that are responsive to the prevention of peer victimization and bullying. The trained RCMP officers will play a central role in assisting school staff, parents, and community leaders in taking a unified approach to reducing bullying in their communities,” according to the RCMP.

The RCMP provides youth officer services for approximately 5,000 schools in Canada.

It also runs DEAL.org, an online resource for youth by youth. The site provides free toolkits and conversation-starters that parents and kids can use when dealing with issues of bullying, internet safety, impaired driving, drugs and more via downloadable, prepared presentations, presenter’s scripts, icebreakers and activities. Organizations working on anti-bullying programming would do well to look at the resources available on the site.

DEAL.org is run by the Youth Engagement Section of the RCMP, and is part of the National Youth Services branch of the RCMP´s Crime Prevention Services.

Love the sinner. Hate the sin.

BullyingCanada.ca, one of the country’s foremost nonprofit authorities on the promotion of anti-bullying measures, has lauded the government’s newfound interest on the matter.

The organization states on its website that upwards of 280,000 students are “attacked” each month by bullies on campuses across Canada. It also reports that bullying occurs once every seven minutes on the playground and once every 25 minutes in the classroom.

The charity commended Toews’ position on bullying and called the government stance “the exact remedy” Canadian troubled youths need.

“Bullying is a serious trauma that many of us have had to face in our lives,” Katie Neu, co-executive director of BullyingCanada said.

Rob Frenette, the charity’s other co-executive director said he was “very pleased” by Toews’ proclamations on bullying.

Asked by CharityVillage whether there were any specific government anti-bullying programs he was applauding, Frenette said his organization had commented because of “the importance of a national strategy on bullying. We were simply commending the government on taking action.”

He said his organization did not consult on developing the RCMP’s WITS program, though it is aware of its existence and good work. Furthermore, Frenette said that despite his organization not being involved directly with the government’s plans to fight bullying, BullyingCanada had reviewed most of the federal programs that are currently in place. “We are confident that any improvements made will be a benefit to youth across Canada,” he said.

Frenette did offer advice for anyone targeted by bullies.

“If you feel that you are being bullied ensure that you tell someone you trust, to get support. You can do that via your school, or parents or a trusted adult or contact BullyingCanada,” he said.

Frenette also took time to applaud the NCPC’s proactivity regarding combating youth gang activities – themselves often stemming from bullying activities.

[Note: For interested readers, the National Crime Prevention Centre’s website lists numerous projects that have been or are being funded by the government to confront youth violence. From 2007 to 2012, Public Safety Canada funded some 23 projects to address the issue.]

More work to be done

Despite the praise being heaped on Toews, there are others who believe more can still be done to fight bullying and educate the public about its evils.

Francine Proulx-Kenzle, vice-president of PFLAG Canada: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, the country’s primary nonprofit that helps Canadians struggling with issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, weighed in on bullying and how it must be stopped.

She said her organization does not receive any government funding – “and we should,” she said – for its activities and had not heard about the WITS or DEAL.org programs.

“PFLAG Canada gets its message out in the communities through its extensive network of more than 70 chapters across the country. [Our] chapters address this issue locally with the limited resources they have.”

Asked how her organization counsels LGBT youth on how to confront homophobic bullying, Proulx-Kenzle said advice was context-dependent.

“It depends so much on the age of the person being bullied. When they’re young, in elementary school for example, we advise them to tell their teacher, tell their parent, [or] someone they trust,” she said. “When they’re older, we advise them to stay calm. Tell [the bully] to stop. Walk away. Stay with friends, etc. And again, tell someone you trust that can help you resolve the situation. A common sense approach is best. Stay safe and speak up so that you get help from adults you trust to stop the bullying.”

Opportunities to help abound

The government’s messaging on bullying comes hard on the heels of some high profile developments in the provinces, particularly in Ontario, where the province enacted anti-bullying laws via the Accepting Schools Act to protect its students and where, earlier this year, 11-year-old Mitchell Wilson took his own life after being mercilessly bullied by his peers.

Roots of Empathy, a charity offering empathy-based programming for children from daycare to grade 8, was one of the main consulting organizations in Ontario’s quest to fight bullying from within the school system.

Mary Gordon, founder and president of the charity is also co-chair of the province’s Accepting Schools Expert Panel. Its mandate is to “bring together experts to identify and advise on the development of resources and practices that promote a positive school climate, equity and inclusive education, as well as bullying prevention and early intervention,” according to Ontario’s Ministry of Education.

The panel is open to feedback and suggestions from nonprofits working in the field.

Andy Levy-Ajzenkopf is president of WordLaunch professional writing services in Toronto. He can be reached at andy@wordlaunch.com.

Photos (from top) via iStockphoto. All photos used with permission.

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