Stopbullying.gov is a website that was created and is maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Its youth-friendly graphics and design make it accessible and appealing for youth and educators who are working to reduce bullying in their schools and communities.
The “What is bullying” section of the website offers basic definitions and examples of bullying in youth-friendly language. According to the site, “Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over.” There is also a short quiz to help youth reflect on their own behaviors and identify if they have a tendency to bully others.
The “What you can do” section of resources offers tangible suggestions to students who are interested in addressing the problem of bullying in their own school or community. It includes a “Tip sheet for kids” that prompts children to take actions such as the following: write down where and when you see bullying happen, find out how bullying is handled at your school, stop bullying when you see it, and meet with school leaders to talk about your ideas.
The “Cool stuff” portion of the website is the most kid-friendly. It includes animated webisodes that talk about the various issues that students face when dealing with bullying. In addition, a series of games use the characters introduced in the webisodes to reinforce the information presented throughout the website.
The “What adults can do” section of this site provides a list of available resources for any adult interested in addressing the issue of bullying. There are also two specific areas that are designed to provide tailored information for families and for educators. The “family corner” gives information to family members about the role they can play in supporting a child who may be experiencing bullying at school. The “educators corner” offers information for teachers, administrators, and other adults in schools. Administrators are encouraged to educate their staff, document incidents of bullying, and research bullying intervention programs. There is also a guide titled “Misdirections in Bullying Prevention and Intervention” that administrators may find useful. The section for teachers also includes downloadable comic books that build on the storylines from the webisodes as well as teacher’s guides that offer hints on implementing these activities in a classroom.
The Stop Bullying Now site is a comprehensive and user-friendly website that can connect students, families, educators, and community members with valuable resources and information to help them address the problem of bullying in their communities.
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References:
- http://www.stopbullying.gov/