Bullying happens when someone uses their power to repeatedly hurt another person. It can take many forms:
- Physical bullying: hitting, pushing, tripping and other kinds of force.
- Cyberbullying: abusive messages over cellphones or the Internet
- Social bullying: spreading rumours about someone or excluding them from a group of friends. This includes targeting someone for their gender identity, religion or cultural background.
- Emotional bullying: name-calling or insults.
Bullying can happen in private or in front of others; it can also happen between groups of children. If bullying situations are not stopped by adults, the children involved may learn that this misuse of power is normal in relationships. This can leave them vulnerable to abuse in future relationships.
Schools are responsible for keeping their students safe from any bullying.
Region of Waterloo Public Health department, working with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and the Region of Waterloo District School Board, has produced a manual called "Imagine...A School Without Bullying: A School Climate Approach to Bullying Prevention." It includes other resources to help with bullying prevention and intervention.
Our local school boards also have policies and procedures to deal with to bullying situations:
Other resources
WAYVE -- Wellness Acceptance Youth Voices Empowerment |
WAYVE is a program that was created in Waterloo by youth and for youth. It is a peer-led prevention program based in schools. WAYVE team members offer support to students and community groups through education and awareness of local resources. |
Kids Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 |
Kids Help Phone is an easy-to-use website is aimed at children and youth. They can directly call or email trained counsellors to talk about being bullied or about what to do in a bullying situation. The information section is divided into "Kids" and "Teens" sections, but the resources can be helpful to parents and caregivers as well. |
Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence |
PREVNet is a leading authority on bullying-related research in Canada. The information comes from researchers at 25 Canadian universities who are partnered with 52 national organizations. This site has many resources and fact sheets that can be downloaded free of charge. Information is targeted to kids, teens, parents, educators and other adults. |
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