Tips to Protect Kids from Bullying During the Holidays and Into the New Year

bullying

Stand for the Silent, an organization helping to stop bullying, offering tips for a safer holiday season.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – (December 6, 2024) – With families gearing up for the holiday break that will lead into the New Year, bullying may be the last thing on their minds. They may assume the risks of bullying will decline during this time, giving them a much-needed break from the issue. However, the research shows that isn’t the case, as many kids are bullied when school is on break, making it a great time to focus on what can be done to help prevent and address the situation now, during a break, and into the New Year when school resumes.

“Unfortunately, bullying doesn’t take a break when the schools do,” says Kirk Smalley, co-founder of Stand for the Silent. “The good news is that there are things that can be done to help address it and prevent it from happening.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bullying is a type of violence that youth experience, and it can happen in person and through technology. They report that it is widespread in America and causes harm. The more we can do to help prevent and address it during breaks and when school resumes, the better our youth will be.

Bullying in person takes place in school and during breaks, but youth are also subject to being bullied via technology during breaks, which is called cyberbullying. While they may use their technology devices all of the time, there is often an increase in usage during school breaks, making cyberbullying more possible. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 22% of all youth ages 12-18 who report having been bullied experienced cyberbullying, either online or by text.

Here are some tips to help protect kids from bullying during the holidays and once they are back in the New Year:

“We can take steps to get ahead of bullying before it becomes an issue,” said Smalley. “We are always happy and willing to help any school, community, or other entity to address the issue and help create a kinder environment.”

Stand for the Silent has several programs they provide to the public to help prevent and eliminate bullying in schools and communities nationwide. They travel the country, delivering eye-opening seminars to students and offering other programs. Smalley started the anti-bullying organization with his late wife, Laura, after their 11-year-old son committed suicide due to bullying. Having turned their pain and loss into a mission of helping others, he travels the country giving presentations about bullying, among other things. The mission is to help end bullying by raising awareness, sharing the facts, and offering solutions.

Their Student Stand Out program encourages teachers to nominate students who stand out, display excellent behavior, and lead by example. Every week throughout the school year, Stand for the Silent will choose one of the nominated students to receive a $50 Visa gift card. At the end of each semester, one student will be selected to win a $100 Visa gift card. There will be two nomination periods, August 1 to December 1 and then from January 1 to April 1. Teachers can nominate as many students as they feel have earned the recognition. For more information about the Student Stand out program, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/schools/standout

Stand for the Silent travels the country, giving presentations about bullying to schools, providing bullying prevention, giving out scholarships, offering intervention strategies, and more. Those interested in getting involved can start a chapter of the group in their area, obtain a free K-2 bullying prevention curriculum or cyberbullying handbook for parents, host a presentation at their school, introduce the How All Started video, and donate to help support the cause. To get more information, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/

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About Stand for the Silent

Started in 2010, Stand for the Silent is an organization on a mission to help eliminate bullying nationwide. Kirk and Laura Smalley founded the group after their child took his own life due to bullying. They offer free resources for parents and educators and travel to schools to host presentations. They have been to over 6,025 schools and spoken with more than 4.15 million students. To get more information, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bullying.https://www.cdc.gov/youth-violence/about/about-bullying.html

National Center for Education Statistics. Student Bullying. July 2024.  https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a10/bullying-electronic-bullying

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