The Tompkins County Legislature on Monday designated October 7 to be “Bullying Prevention Day” throughout the county and encouraged schools, community organizations, government agencies, and others to strive for a “bully-free environment.”
Martha Robertson, Legislature chair; Kate Shanks-Booth, director of the Tompkins County Youth Services Department; Bridgette Nugent, Task Force co-coordinator
Legislature Chair Martha Robertson issued a proclamation at the Legislature’s meeting that observes a Bullying Prevention Day for the first time in the county. Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Day falls on World Day of Bullying Prevention and within National Bullying Prevention Month in October.
The proclamation reads in part: “Every member of the Tompkins County community, government agencies, community organizations, school administrators, teachers, athletic coaches, parents, and students can play a part in creating a bully-free environment in our schools, athletics fields, public spaces, and online.”
The proclamation notes that more than two dozen government agencies, community organizations, parents, and representatives from the county’s six school districts formed the Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force in March 2019. The Task Force’s mission is to facilitate comprehensive cooperation across the community in developing and promoting appropriate bullying prevention and response strategies in Tompkins County.
The Task Force is calling on Tompkins County schools to consider organizing special activities on October 7 in observance of Bullying Prevention Day. In a message sent to school districts, the Task Force suggests activities such as an all-school assembly featuring speakers, films, or skits; pledge-signing events; and walks/runs to raise awareness about bullying. The Task Force also asked teachers to consider classroom activities such as videos with follow-up discussions about tolerance and respect; and student presentations, creative writing assignments, or art projects on the bullying theme.
Click here to download the School Activities to Promote Bullying Prevention packet.
The Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) and the Task Force are organizing a rally for 4:30 pm on October 7 at the Bernie Milton Pavilion in the Ithaca Commons to mark Bullying Prevention Day. Students will begin a march from GIAC to the Bernie Milton Pavilion at 4:15 pm for a peaceful gathering suitable for all ages. There will be performances by GIAC Jumpers, a proclamation, poster making, and a Task Force announcement about bullying prevention activities. Participants are encouraged to wear blue as the color symbolizing the fight against bullying.
“The Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force is pleased to celebrate Tompkins County’s first Bullying Prevention Day,” said Bridgette Nugent, Task Force co-coordinator. “The primary goal of the Task Force is to mobilize all stakeholders in the community to recognize the negative impacts of bullying and to support efforts for its intervention and prevention. We hope that by raising awareness and energizing the community to address bullying on this day, we can further energize students, families, and community members to put an end to bullying in our county.”
Kate Shanks-Booth, director of the Tompkins County Youth Services Department, said that Bullying Prevention Day offered an important step forward.
“The Tompkins County Youth Services Department deals with all the different municipalities and school districts that are encompassed within Tompkins County,” she said. “We hear from our partners at every level that bullying is a major area of concern, as the physical and emotional trauma experienced during these events lasts a lifetime. We are doing our part, working with Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force and other local partners to ensure that every youth in Tompkins County can thrive in life, work, and school without the negative impacts of all types of bullying.”
Celia Clement, a longtime school social worker and Task Force member, said: “The key to creating caring, kind, inclusive and safe school cultures is to empower students to be the agents of change.”
Clement said that the Task Force hopes that schools will initiate regular activities to increase awareness, facilitate discussions, and create opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving as part of an ongoing exploration and discussion between staff and students.
“Healthy school communities flourish and are sustainable when students are the driving force in creating kind and inclusive cultures,” said Clement. “We anticipate that providing these opportunities for education and dialogue will serve as a catalyst for students to take ownership in initiating Upstander leadership programs that will be responsive to the unique needs of their schools.”
Download the Bullying Prevention Day Poster [DOWNLOAD]
Download the Tompkins County proclamation [DOWNLOAD]
For more information, go to:
https://thesophiefund.org/bullying/
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