Mean Girls and Boys: What we Know About the Changing Face of Bullying Today and What we Can Do About It
- Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 4, 2011, 2-5 p.m.
- Location: Arcadia University's University Gallery Room, Landman Library
- Cost: $60 Professional ($70 after Oct. 7); Arcadia Student - Free; $15 Non-Arcadia Student (valid student ID needed).
- Registration Form
Program Topic
Bullying is a widespread and serious problem that can happen anywhere. It is not a phase children have to go through or grow out of, it is not “just messing around”. Bullying can cause serious and lasting harm to victims, perpetrators, and bystanders if not handled effectively.
Although definitions of bullying vary, most agree that bullying involves three main variables: Imbalance of Power; Intent to Cause Harm; and Repetition. This workshop will review what research tells us about bullying and will explore what is being done, and can be done, to address bullying, from the classroom to the workplace.
The Olweus research and practice, much out of Clemson University and Pennsylvania’s own Windber Institute, will provide the basis for the program. That work will be supported by case studies and field observations. Audience experiences will be solicited for balance and context.
The program will provide best practices for an area of increasing interest in the field and will offer a legal update with an eye on the potential impact for the field.
Although the session will include some advanced elements, especially as regards bullying and the law, the session is designed for someone seeking a wider background in the bullying topic with the idea of learning more in the future. Everyone in attendance will add something to their toolkit, but an advanced expert in bullying issues would find this session redundant, even if entertaining. The novice to the field will learn a lot but the target audience is for someone already involved.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Learn the definition of bullying in its various forms, including cyberbullying;
- Confront myths and stereotypes about bullying;
- Increase their ability to effectively intervene in bullying situations;
- Become aware of the research behind the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program;
- Examine how the law is handling bullying today
- Explore why bullying is such a concern for those who work with and care about LGBTQ young people.
Any person working with young people, from school counselors to clinical psychologists, will benefit from this program that lays out current practice, law and research in bullying prevention. Everyone who also fills the role of parent or guardian of a child will want to attend, too.
Presenter
David Keller Trevaskis, Esquire, is an attorney and former third grade teacher with a Master’s Degree in Education. An Olweus certified bullying prevention trainer and a Board Member of Physicians for Social Responsibility, Trevaskis views bullying as a violation of basic human rights and is well aware of its health consequences.
An attorney and certified Olweus Bullying Prevention Trainer, Trevaskis has been teaching graduate classes on bullying prevention and working with schools to prevent bullying for many years. His Project PEACE program has brought bullying prevention to hundreds of schools as part of a systematic process of democratic discipline.
