Anti-Bullying Awareness
CUNY and PSC Joint Anti-Bullying Statement
Thursday, November 2, is International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, Including Cyberbullying. November 13th to November 17th is designated as Anti-Bullying Week.
History
Initially started in 2007 by two students, David Shepherd, and Travis Price, in Berwick, Nova Scotia, Canada, in response to a ninth-grade student, Chuck McNeill, who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on his first day of school. The two students distributed 50 pink shirts for students to show support for the bullied student and to draw attention to the issue. In 2008, following the attention brought to the issue by the students, the Premier of Nova Scotia proclaimed the second Thursday of September “Stand Up Against Bullying Day.”
The date would eventually evolve as different countries worldwide took up the cause started by those students in Canada. Culminating in 2012, the United Nations declared May 4 as U.N. Anti-Bullying Day. UNESCO announced the first Thursday of November as the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, Including Cyberbullying.
EVENTS
International Day against Violence and Bullying at School, Including Cyberbullying
This year’s event will highlight the link between mental health and school violence. The UNESCO theme for this year’s event will be No Place for Fear: Ending School Violence for Better Mental Health and Learning.
Following the global COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on learning, concerns about mental health and wellbeing are increasingly considered. Places of education are meant to be safe spaces and supportive of all students, faculty, and staff. However, as this day highlights, this is not always the case; for many, these spaces can be places where everyone is affected by violence and bullying.
The links between violence in school and mental health are vital. Experiences of violence, discrimination, and bullying can directly impact students, faculty, and staff’s mental health and learning. In turn, the feeling of safety is linked to better mental health and workplace experiences. The day’s goal is to foster learning in a safe and supportive place and promote good mental health for all learning institutions’ students, faculty, and staff.
ANTI-BULLYING WEEK
Highlighting the issue of bullying and encouraging a call to act against it, Anti-Bullying Week is a national awareness initiative that fosters an atmosphere of respect and support where bullying is not tolerated. It spans schools, workplaces, and other environments where people interact with each other and emphasizes that everyone should feel safe and valued.
The five identified areas of impact for those participating in the weeks are:
- Raise Awareness: Use social media to promote awareness of the week and call attention to the issue.
Relevant hashtags during Anti-bullying week:
- #AntiBullyingWeek
- #ChooseKindness
- #StopBullying
- #BullyingPrevention
- #BeKind
- #InclusionMatters
- #StandUpToBullying
2. Wear Pink: During anti-bullying week, Pink Shirt Day encourages people to wear pink to demonstrate their support. The pink shirt symbolizes the first anti-bully movement in Canada, where students wore pink to support their classmates.
Video about Pink Shirt Day
https://youtu.be/Tb2a4nPBgUY?si=mlpHHr4y55FWAPj2
4. Anti-Bullying Activities: Work to organize and plan anti-bullying awareness activities. Attend and participate in workshops, discussions, and projects.
Anti—Bullying Alliance
Anti-Bullying Week 2023: Make A Noise – Social Media Stakeholder Event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58TTqDlEfxA
5. Speak Out: Work to encourage people experiencing bullying to speak out at school, at work, or at home.
VIDEO: Anti-Bullying – PSC CUNY (psc-cuny.org)
Learning Opportunities
Employees can navigate to their Blackboard account to complete CUNY’s annual Workplace Violence Prevention Training. Please note the course has been updated to include a section dedicated to Anti-Bullying.
