As a companion to the PBS documentary Not In Our Town, The Local Show focuses on efforts in our community to stop hatred. We will speak with former Miss Kansas Alyssa George about her efforts to combat bullying in schools. Anti-Bullying expert and author SuEllen Fried shares an emotional story from one of her school visits. We will feature the story of Walter Currie, Jr., a Poplar Bluff, MO teen who was set on fire in a possible hate crime. We highlight a story from local Holocaust survivor Bronia Roslawowski. Viewers may contact the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education for additional information on the Holocaust including testimonies of other local Holocaust survivors. We get a look inside the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project. We will also share excerpts and reaction from a screening of Not In Our Town.
How can you help prevent bullying?
Learn how to recognize bullying: Educate yourself on how to recognize the signs of bullying and what you can do to prevent kids from being bullied. Learn to tell the difference between bullying and harmless childhood play.
Help educate others: Spread the word by talking to the people in your community who have the power to put an end to bullying. Here are a few groups you may want to visit or call:
Your family: If you have kids, teach them that bullying is wrong. Use the government resources provided for bullied kids and bullied teens to help them come up with a plan for what to do if they experience bullying as a victim or an observer.
Your friends and neighbors: Take a few minutes to share this bullying information with people in your neighborhood. Encourage adults and children to speak up and stop bullying wherever they see it.
Your local schools: StopBullying.gov has a wealth of free anti-bullying material aimed at helping teachers, school administrators, and students recognize and prevent school bullying. Print some of the school bullying articles and give them to your local school district or email officials the link. You may also want to suggest that school children take the Anti-bullying Pledge from Bullying.org.
Stop bullying when you see it: By now, you know what to do. The next time you see an innocent child being victimized by a bully, don’t let the abuse continue. Your actions to stop bullying will help victimized children have hope again and will pave the way for others to stop letting senseless bullying harm young lives.
Resources:
Kansas City Anti-Violence Project
BullySafe USA
Midwest Center for Holocaust Education
Stop Bullying: Speak Up Campaign on Facebook
Synergy Services
StopBullying
The Working Group
