Kids have gone back to school and we’ve already heard about bullying taking place in schools, online and in our communities.
We heard the story about Florida teen Melanie Conn being saran-wrapped by two boys while waiting for the school bus.
We’ve heard about and saw the video about the Kopachuck Middle School student in Washington State whose classmates and teacher dragged him around the room and taped him to a chair.
Even Olympic medal winner Gabby Douglas and Paris Jackson (daughter of Michael Jackson) have been bullied.
And for some it’s only the first week of school.
To combat bullying, it is critically important to raise awareness and educate our kids, schools, parents and communities.
October is National Bullying prevention month and to signify the importance of it, STOMP Out Bullying™ created Blue Shirt Day™ World Day of Bullying Prevention.
The day observed on the first Monday of every October (this year October 1st), urges everyone to wear a blue shirt in solidarity making it the day that bullying prevention is heard around the world. The idea is to see a “sea of blue” across the globe on 10-1-12.
The Blue Shirt Day™ World Day of Bullying Prevention campaign in its fourth year has spanned the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Israel, Germany, Portugal and Korea.
An initiative of STOMP Out Bullying™ (full disclosure the writer of this article is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the organization) the campaign has been adopted by schools and businesses.
The 2012 Blue Shirt was produced by Sledge USA and is being sold at the Bon-Ton Stores Inc. and its web sites. Each shirt is $12 and $8 of each shirt is donated to STOMP Out Bullying™. As a bullying prevention partner Bon-Ton Stores understands the importance of raising awareness of the issue.
Students love participating in the initiative as it’s a call to action for them to do something. There is also a Student Participation Toolkit that students can use on that day and throughout the year.
To learn more visit www.stompoutbullying.org and to order shirts visit any of the Bon-Ton Stores: Bon-Ton, Bergners, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s, Parisian, Younkers
or at the Bon-Ton Store Website.
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Ross Ellis is also the Examiner for:
National Parenting Examiner
NY Real Estate
