It's My Life . Friends . Bullies ! PBS Kids GO!

Bullies: Bully-Free Zones

Do think your school does a good job of dealing with bullies? Do students get the support they need when they go to teachers or counselors with bullying problems?

If they don't, then...why not change that?

With the help of parents and community leaders, kids all over the country are making anti-bullying programs happen at their schools. Here's how to start.

Start small:

Raise the issue of bullying with student council and try to set up a "bullying prevention" or "student respect" group. You can also get a few friends together and talk to a counselor about setting up these groups.
Work with a guidance counselor to develop an anti-bullying workshop that can be done in your class, grade, or school-wide.

Start bigger:

Talk to your parents about whether the school's PTA can raise the issue in meetings.
Hold a meeting with the principal, along with any friends, parents, and teachers who support you, to talk about starting a bullying prevention program at your school.

If you have trouble getting something going at your school, you can try working with a youth group, like Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, etc., to put together a workshop for people in the community.

Bullying has been around for a really long time, but that doesn't mean it has to exist forever. Whether it's happening to you or someone else, you have the power to stop bullying now...AND for the future.

Special thanks to the following experts for their contribution to this topic: Lois Flaherty, M.D., American Psychiatric Association

Related Websites:

Bullying.org
http://www.bullying.org
This site features stories, drawings, poems, music and opinions about bullying, sent in from people all over the world.

Bullying At School Information
http://www.scre.ac.uk/bully
From Scotland, which proves that bullying happens everywhere! This site has all sorts of great advice.

By other kids!
Values: Making Good Choices for Life
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001709/?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0227
This ThinkQuest site was created by 5th and 6th graders from Kapolei, Hawaii. Using clay-mation puppets, mini-movies, a survey, and more, it explores values and decision-making.