Anti-Bullying Campaign

Bullying can be hugely detrimental to teenagers. This is particularly bad when you consider that people who are bullied can be as much as nine times more likely to consider suicide, have greater rates of alcohol and drug abuse, greater risk of depression and anxiety, and it can even lead to lower grades in school.

One of the most effective ways to prevent bullying is by instituting a strong peer support system. An anti-bullying campaign is the perfect time to discuss such possibilities with students, give them a stake in how they work, and get the whole school involved. Instituting a peer support system can start with training on what to do about bullying as a victim and as a bystander. A whole school can go through this training.

However, peer support systems must be something that is put in place which lasts well beyond the campaign itself. It can involve having a student council that responds to cases of bullying and could even be involved in determining punishments for bullies who are caught. It can involve peer mentoring programs that help young and less confident students who may be targets of bullies improve their confidence, and find ways to respond to the challenges they might face. This kind of mentoring program is often best when it involves pairing up freshman with older students like juniors or seniors so that they can pass down the anti-bullying culture in the school, and help deal with bullying behavior they see.