No topic is closer to my heart than bullying prevention. As adults, most of us can recall witnessing or even engaging in bullying behavior when we were young. Some of us even know what it’s like to be the victim, to be scared, to not want to go to school for fear of torment and abuse.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, victimized youth are at increased risk for mental health problems and poor school adjustment. Youth who bully others are at increased risk for substance use, academic problems and violence later in life.

Here are some of the warning signs that your child may be bullied:

• Damaged or missing clothing or belongings.
• Frequent headaches or stomach aches.
• Loss of interest in school.
• Changes in sleeping and eating habits.
• Changes in social life.

Stopping bullying behavior is imperative to the health of the victims and the bullies themselves. Last year, Children’s Health Education Center worked with schools to reach more than 15,000 middle school students with our bullying prevention program, Act Now!

Act Now! addresses physical, verbal, emotional and cyber bullying, plus sexual harassment, through a series of five engaging e-learning lessons in sixth grade, and reinforcing lessons in seventh and eighth grades. It features interactive role-playing, video segments and fun educational games.

This program is being offered free to Wisconsin schools. Ask your children’s teacher or principal if Act Now! is right for your school. For more information, contact Children’s Health Education Center at (414) 765-9355 or chec@chw.org.

Parents, read this guide to learn how you can stop bullying and raise responsible, caring children.

~ Clay Anton, e-learning consultant, Children’s Health Education Center

To date, we’re really proud to say that “Staying Alive” has reached more than 500 students, with the goal of having all MPS sixth graders experience the program within the next two years. The “team” comprised of two firefighters and two Project Ujima staff visits school classrooms and talks to students about the roots of violence, strategies for avoiding violence, anger triggers and how to stay safe. Most effective are simulated activities like utilizing pulse sticks that show the kids their anger. The pulse sticks help students understand their anger triggers an actual physiological response. They also learn ways to calm themselves down when their anger has been triggered, and they can see the difference for themselves as they calm down. Role-playing with students illustrates real life situations in which they may find themselves, and it teaches them how to respond with out resorting to violence.

This unique program was the idea of a Milwaukee paramedic who was compelled to find a solution to violence after his department transported more than 800 adult and child gun shot wound victims in 2006. More than 600 of these victims survived their injuries due to the quick response of the Milwaukee Fire Department and the treating medical personnel at local hospitals, but the numbers are still alarming. Through Project Ujima, Children’s Hospital and Project Ujima cared for 106 child gunshot wound victims in 2006 and 2007 with only three fatalities.

“Ujima” is a Ki-swahili word meaning “working together to make things right.” Project Ujima is a community project committed to helping stop the cycle of violent crimes by reducing the number of repeat victims of violence. Project Ujima has served over 3,000 youth since 1996. It includes the collaborative efforts of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin.

–Toni Rivera is manager of Project Ujima, a program of Children’s Service Society of Wisconsin

Changing your status on Facebook or posting a blog on MySpace, while as ubiquitous to teens as pep rallies or skin cream, can present unforeseen dangers. Bullying happens in every school and at every level.  However, unlike other forms of bullying, cyber bullying can prove to be more mean-spirited and dangerous because it is likely under the radar of school officials and parents.

Oftentimes, a teen’s friends are the first to know that something might be wrong. Some of the possible warning signs that a teen might be a victim of cyber bullying are: dramatic mood changes, excessive anger, loss of interest in things they enjoy, changes in behavior – like use of alcohol or other drugs, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and poor concentration in school.

As adults, we need to become tech savvy in order to protect our children from online bullies. Checking your child’s Facebook account is a reasonable and an effective way to prevent unhealthy online relationships. Better yet, create your own profile and send a  “Friend request” to your teen.  I know for a fact they can help you with this task, they walked me through it!

If you are not familiar with the work of Teen Health Crew, they are an amazing group of kids. They are community teens who receive training from CHEC that prepares them to co-teach health education programs during the school year with one of our educators. Topics they talk to their peers about include: self-esteem, bullying and healthy decision-making. There also are bullying prevention resources for parents, teens and teachers on our Web site (www.bluekids.org).