Does Bully Movie 2012 show too much graphic bullying?

Sweet natured and keen to learn, Alex wants more than anything to fit in. But from the moment he gets on the school bus, Alex is relentlessly bullied by classmates, who pummel him with insults, curses and punches.

 As another school year begins, Kirk and Laura Smalley launch Stand for the Silent, an anti-bullying organization. They won’t be waving their son off to school. At the age of 11, tired of being pushed down, thrown into lockers, and verbally abused, Ty Smalley took his own life.

The above scenarios are from the new movie Bully. Have you seen it yet?
When someone gets picked on all the time – ridiculed, pushed, shunned or trash talked – that’s bullying. It happens to 10 to 15 per cent of Canadian students aged 11 to 15, and to 20 per cent of U.S. students. Bullying really hurts people – not just the kids being bullied but also their families. You can make your school and community safer by doing your part to stop bullying.

See the movie Bully. Take A Stand. Take the Pledge. Contact Cineplex, Empire Theatres. The movie is scheduled for release in select theatres April 6, 2012.

Follow on Twitter @bullycanada #stopbullying

Watch Bully. Then tell everyone about it. Because when we all understand what bullying really does to kids and their families, then we can all work together. Visit www.bullymovie.ca to take the pledge.

What is your opinion? Does Bully Movie 2012 show too much graphic bullying and violence? Let us know what you think with a quick comment.

Bruce Langford – anti-bullying advocate and school presenter
http://www.brucelangford.ca

Dr. Kenneth Shore’s Top 6 Bullying Prevention Tips

Stand Up – Make it Stop; Let’s End It. These are the words of a child describing the challenges of bullying. Why can’t we make bullying stop? Why can’t we just decide to end bulling? The answer is we can. It just takes a concerted effort with everyone moving toward the same goal to end bullying forever. Of course it is not easy. Definitely there are many who say bullying is part of being human and will never end.
The point is though, that no child should have to go to school in fear.  Every person should feel safe in their community and not fear being bullied. Children should not be nervous to go on-line for fear of being bullied.
These thoughts took me to Dr. Kenneth Shore’s book, “The ABC’s of Bullying Prevention”.
Dr. Shore is a psychologist and family counselor and has written this valuable book about bullying prevention. I’ve included his top six bullying prevention tips here.
1. Take it seriously. Shore says bullying often goes unrecognized by educators, or is recognized but isn’t taken seriously. “It’s easy for us as adults to dismiss kids’ concerns, but so often, issues or problems we perceive as small loom large for them.” The common thread in stories of bullied kids who attempt or successfully commit suicide is that schools dismissed complaints about bullying or didn’t treat them with the seriousness they deserved, says Shore.
2. Prevent it. Your local board of education probably has an anti-bullying policy, but words on a piece of paper won’t change things. Instead, a committee of students, parents, and school-site staff should work together to plan and implement a prevention program. Shore says studies show a 50-percent reduction in bullying in schools that adopt comprehensive bullying prevention programs.
3. Don’t treat bullying as exceptional. Shore says one of the mistakes schools make is they treat bullying prevention as a one-time activity. “You don’t solve bullying with one big assembly,” he says. Instead, hold several ongoing activities throughout the year to address the problem. “Make sure the issue is very much alive in kids’ minds.”
4. Meet in each classroom. It’s crucial that teachers make time for special classroom meetings held a minimum of four times a year conveying that bullying is unacceptable, and the school takes it seriously. “Seat kids in a circle and engage them in discussions where they can talk about times they’ve been bullied and discuss what that felt like,” he says. During the meeting, teachers should also talk about things they’ll do if they see bullying happening.
5. Zero tolerance. Parents of kids suspected of bullying need to find out what their children are doing and address it seriously. “Make sure to let him know it’s unacceptable and that you’re going to be monitoring behavior and if it continues, there’s going to be serious consequences. Let your child know you mean business and then try to understand why it is that he’s engaging in these behaviors.”
6. Don’t blame the victim. If your child comes to you and says he’s being bullied, “Don’t dismiss the concerns with a ‘sorry that happened, hope things go better tomorrow,’ response, or suggest it’s your child’s fault,” says Shore. Listen to your child, recognize that he’s a victim, and follow-up with the school in-person. “You want to be a pit-bull taking whatever steps you need to ensure the bullying stops.”

Bruce Langford is a Canadian bullying prevention advocate offering interactive, musical school assemblies on the topic.

http://standupagainstbullying.com

 

 

 

5 Best Bus Bullying Tips from the Bullying Guy

Bus in Benny DL's hand

Bullying on the bus can be a real problem. Here are 5 tips to deal with bullying on the bus:
1. Tell somebody you can trust – it might be the bus driver, a teacher, a parent or even a friend on the bus.
2. Find a friend to sit with if you can. Look out for each other. It’s even better if you can get more than one friend on your side.
3. Stay away from the bully if you can. Sit as far away from them as possible.
4. Some bullies are just trying to get attention and feed their ego. Sometimes these people will stop if you just ignore them.
5. Try to be as confident as you can – don’t let the person know they are bugging you. Sometimes just speaking up and talking it out can be the best way to deal with this kind of thing.

We will come to your school to share stuff about bullying & respect in a fun way. Check out www.standupagainstbullying.com and remember: ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ on the bus!

Parent Reaching Out (PRO) Grant to get Bullying Speaker Bruce Langford

Paul Clark, Parent Council Rep at Sts. Peter and Paul School

I (Bruce Langford) have just presented an hour-long keynote talk including videos, songs and student role-plays at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School in Mississauga. The topic was bullying, cyber-bullying and parenting. Parent Council member Paul Clark commented that “Bruce Langford’s parent program was really good. It was interactive, it had music and a lot of parents found it very helpful.”
We received many positive comments about the role-plays, the songs and the tips and ideas about bullying and parenting. The program is called ‘Stand Up – Keep Your Kids’. When we visit a school during the day, we encourage children to bring their parents back in the evening for some different videos, songs and role-plays. This really helps to get lots of people out in the evening.

One of the messages in tonight’s talk was about being a good listener. As adults we need to remember to listen to our children, and as children, we need to be good listeners to our friends, our teachers and parents.

To book Bruce Langford as a guest speaker at your school, call Stand Up Now at 1-800-901-8831 or e-mail bruce@standupnow.ca

Bullying Tips on a Multi-Cultural Theme

Bruce Langford at Williamsburg School in Kitchener Ontario

Encourage your child to be open to all cultures and ethnicity. If we, as adults model this behaviour, our children will come by it honestly. Read stories set in many different locations around the world. Make a point of learning about cultures you are not familiar with. Take part in cultural festivals with your family whenever possible. The examples you set will serve your children for a lifetime.
Williamsburg Public School in Kitchener Ontario sets these examples using Tribes teaching as a tool for teachers and children. I (Bruce Langford) visited Williamsburg School yesterday to present our ‘Stand Up Against Bullying’ and ‘Stand Up – Keep Your Kids’ programs. We welcomed over 200 people in the evening talk about bullying and cyber-bullying tips. Principal Fran Oppertshauser encouraged us by agreeing to be a reference for our school assemblies. 

Arrange for excellent anti-bullying school assemblies by Stand Up Now Productions with presenter Bruce Langford. Phone Stand Up Now at 1-800-901-8831 or e-mail at bruce@standupnow.ca  Website: www.standupnow.ca

How Many Children Report Bullying?

Bullying is a real problem in our society and studies have been done to prove this fact. One study (Wendy Craig & Y. Harel, 2004) revealed that about 12% of girls and 18% of boys reported bullying others at least twice in previous months, while 15% of girls and 18% of boys reported being victimized at least twice over the same period. As parents, teachers and members of society in general, we can help improve these numbers by being good listeners whenever children need to share a concern. This is a starting point to help our children deal with these issues.
For more information visit www.standupagainstbullying.com or call Bruce Langford to book anti-bullying programs and assemblies for your Ontario school at 1-800-901-8831 Stand Up Now Bullying Prevention

Don’t Keep It Inside, Tell Someone You Trust!

Why do so many of us clam up when someone says or does something mean to us? That’s how bullying can start. I can tell you, there have been times in the past when I lacked confidence. I would question myself. Did I say something wrong? Did I give a mean impression? Honestly, we all lack confidence at certain times. We all have to build ourselves up sometimes.

One of the best ways to deal with this is by deciding not to keep these thoughts inside. Talk about it with someone you trust. Write down your ideas in a journal. Share with someone you are sure you can depend on, but other than that, keep it private.

This can really help to deal with bullying situations in your own life.  

http://www.standupagainstbullying.com/

Paralympics 2010 Can Inspire Us All!

Imagine the journey each athelete has travelled! Discovering their passion, setting their goal and making it happen have all been steps along the way.  
Listen to their individual stories and be inspired. These amazing men and women can make us all proud and provide rock solid inspiration to each of us in our own lives as we deal with our own challenges like bullying and put-downs.
Go Olympians!

Visit us at www.atfm.ca

Stand Up Against Bullying!

Do people ever feel guilty for their bullying behaviours? Indeed, there are many who have written years later about their desire to make it up to the people they have bullied.
One man wrote a letter of apology fifty-four years later to the person he bullied back in grade school.
Bullying is not new. Bullying is not acceptable. Bullying is real.
Steer clear of bullying. Strive to become the kind of person who respects others and refuses to be part of bullying behaviours.
Stand Up Against Bullying! (www.standupagainstbullying.com)

Surf in a Central Place

We have been presenting our ‘Cyberbullying – Got 2 Go’ programs today at a JK-5 School. The students were totally excited and picked up key concepts as well. The songs, videos and role-plays really grabbed their attention.
One of our messages is to remind children that when surfing the internet, their computer needs to be ’in a central place, like a kitchen or family room where everyone goes’. Being on-line should not be a secretive activity for children, and adults should not model this secretive behaviour to children either. 

For more about bullying prevention programs for children, see our website at www.standupnow.ca

Earthquake in Chile Causes Hardship for Children

A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Chile’s second-largest city , Concepcion on Feb 27, 2010, and has caused extensive damage. The capital Santiago, about 200 miles north of the epicenter was also badly hit.

“Any disaster increases the vulnerability of children. And we know from experience that an earthquake of this enormity – with widespread destruction of homes, schools, infrastructure and piece of mind – will put thousands of children at risk.”
Charles MacCormack of ‘Save The Children’

 At ‘Stand Up Now’ we donate monthly to Save The Children because we believe in their efforts and we also want to help children of the world. Please keep the children of Chile in your prayers and help with a donation if possible. (www.savethechildren.org)
We are www.standupnow.ca

Joannie Rochette Shows Incredible Strength

Joannie Rochette displayed amazing focus as she courageously moved forward determined to win a medal in spite of her mother’s recent fatal heart attack after arriving in Vancouver.
She continued on to earn a bronze medal and attributed her success to her mother, Therese, who wanted a better life for her daughter than she herself had.
When dealing with bullied children, we can learn from the strength and focus shown by Joannie Rochette.

Inquire about Stand Up Now presentations for your child’s school, or the school of your neice, grandson or cousin. It will increase the emphasis of having a safe school and will give the children concepts to hold on to. Our programs educate and entertain with memorable content.
Visit us at www.standupagainstbullying.com

Confidence is Your Key to Success

Keep your chin up! Are you feeling discouraged or defeated? Think of all the times a winning athlete may need a boost. Keeping your confidence is one of the key skills a winning person must conquer. Be your own cheerleader! Don’t let those thoughts of discouragement grab hold. Be strong, be confident, be a winner!

Go Beyond the Limits to Solve Bullying

“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.”
Arthur C. Clarke

Sir Arthur Clarke was a well known author and inventor. He is most famous for the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey which he wrote with Stanley Kubric.
In 1945 he published his idea that satellites would be an effective method of communication. His idea to communicate using satellites has now become reality. Sir Arthur Clarke was definitely a forward thinker and left our world a better place.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box to solve bullying problems. Visit our website at www.brucelangford.ca

Superbowl Star Tracy Porter’s Winning Attitude Helps Win the 2010 Superbowl

Tracy Porter intercepted Peyton Manning with only minutes left in the game and returned the pick 74 yards for a touchdown. That sealed the New Orleans’ Saints first Super Bowl victory on February 7, 2010!

Cornerback Tracy Porter’s winning attitude and absolute focus can be an inspiration to those of us teaching others how to reduce bullying and increase respect.

Have a look at our website at www.atfm.ca for more winning ideas.

Neil Young’s Grammy Win and Bullied Children

Neil Young finally won a Grammy! I’m wondering if Young felt a lot like a child who is bullied by exclusion. After more than forty years on the music scene with many successful recordings, he finally received his first Grammy on January 30, 2010. Interestingly, Young had what most would consider a difficult childhood. He was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and contracted polio at age six which caused him to walk with a limp which is noticeable even today. Only six years later, his parents became divorced.
Young’s ‘Old Man’ (1972) reached #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Old man take a look at my life / I’m a lot like you / I need someone to love me / the whole day through.”

Interesting to think what his childhood must have felt like.

It makes me wonder what advice Neil Young would give to children going through difficult times today.

We give children a boost up by helping them deal with bullying. Check out our school programs at www.standupagainstbullying.com

Ban Muslim Veils, Hijabs, Niqabs to Prevent Bullying?

The sensitive topic of possibly banning Muslim Veils has come up in the news. Do you think these items promote bullying? Many people agree that bullying happens when people look different, act different or wear different clothes.
I believe it is important to respect the cultures and beliefs of others. I want to find out the opinions of people who wear Muslim Veils and opinions of others as well. What is your opinion?

Visit our website at www.standupnow.ca to learn about Bullying Prevention

Superman and the Dream To Eliminate Bullying

You may think our dream to eliminate bullying is beyond possibility. I believe it is definitely possible!

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
Christopher Reeve  (Well known actor who played Superman in four movies). 

KEEP YOUR DREAMS ALIVE!

Bullying and The Haiti Earthquake Disaster

Bullying is a huge problem in our country and in many countries. The people of Haiti are suffering desperately because of a natural disaster.
We can help deal with bullying, but we also need to be willing to help people in critical times like this in Haiti. There are many ways to help people in the Haiti earthquake zone. Google has a link on the Google home page.
Save The Children is only one of the many organizations that is working feverishly to help.
We at Stand Up Now are donating part of our proceeds to Save The Children. You can learn what Save The Children is doing by clicking on this link Save The Children

Please do what you can to help minimize bullying and also help those in Haiti.

Visit our Website at www.standupagainstbullying.com

Looking for Actors for Bullying Prevention Programs

We are searching for people to play various roles in scenarios which will be produced into videos to be used in bullying prevention programs. Do you know someone who would be interested?
Actors who participate in these videos can really help to make a difference in the life of a bullied child.

Please contact us at info@standupnow.ca

Visit our website at www.standupagainstbullying.com