Hundreds gather to end bullying
Posted October 25, 2012 1:03 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PORT COQUITLAM (NEWS1130) – About 450 people, many of them parents and their children, attended a community forum to tackle the problem of bullying. “Bullying: It Ends With You,” organized by the Joint Family Court and Youth Justice Committee was held at the Terry Fox Theatre in Port Coquitlam.
The event included a panel of experts sharing advice for parents as well as the film screening of “How to Help: A Youth Perspective on Bullying,” which was created by the Canadian Red Cross. The documentary shed light on personal stories experienced by a variety of kids who were bullied. Parents also got a chance to ask the experts some questions, things like “how do you intervene?” and “what are ways to help kids cope with bullying?”
Cindy is a mother who has learned a lot about the issue and will now do things a little differently; in particular, she won’t “overparent.”
“What really hit home with me was not pushing. I want to push my son for the information…from listening to the kids [in the film] I think I would just ease off a little bit and make myself accessible and wait until he is ready,” says Cindy.
Brad left the forum knowing that bullying affects everyone.
“In the past, I only looked at what can we do for the victim…but what this forum really helped with, was the concept that there is the victim, there’s the bully, and the bystander. All of these things need to be handled,” Brad explains.
The panel of experts say there’s no single solution to getting rid of the complex problem. But they advise parents it starts at home with open trust and communication with your kids. To eradicate it in the long term requires a community effort.
