Guardian Angels News

October is Mental Health Awareness & Anti-Bullying Month

Bullying affects the Body / Mind/ and Spirit of those experiencing and those doing the bullying.

Bullying can happen to kids, adolescents, and adults. It is never  okay at any age. The Center for Disease Control and Department of Education defined core elements of bullying as:

• Unwanted aggressive behavior
• Observed or perceived power imbalance
• Repetition or high likelihood of repetition of bullying behaviors

About 19.2% of students ages 12-18 enrolled in grades 6-12 experienced bullying nationwide during the 2021-2022 school year.

Strategies that can help:

1. Model Kindness: Adults should model respectful behaviors toward others, showing children how to treat others with kindness and respect.
2. Encourage Reporting: Teach children how to report bullying incidents to trusted adults.
3. Create a Safe Environment: in schools enforce policies that treat bullying as unacceptable.
4. Use the WITS Method: Encourage children to Walk Away, Ignore the bully, Talk it out, Seek Help if feeling threatened.

Sites for more information:

• www.stopbullying.gov
• www.kidpower.org/library/article/adult-bullying