Stand for the Silent, an organization helping to stop bullying is preparing kids for the new school year.

OKLAHOMA CITY, July 9, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Many parents are already considering what they need to do to prepare their children for the new school year that is just around the corner. While what they will wear and do after school is essential, ensuring they know what to do about back-to-school bullies should be at the top of every parent's priority list. Bullies will head back to school as well, and they will be ready to start picking on kids from day one.

"Summer is a great time to get kids ready for the new school year, including with how to win against bullies," says Kirk Smalley, co-founder of Stand for the Silent. "Addressing it now will ensure the school year will be smooth and bully-free."

Over the summer, parents can do a lot to raise awareness about bullying in their home and community. Making it a priority may help reduce the incidents of bullying in school and in the community. Proactive communities can make people more aware of the issue, which can help reduce the incidents.

According to the National Institutes of Health, a few risk factors may make people more vulnerable to being bullied. These include a kid being seen as different from their peers, being seen as weak or unable to defend themselves, having low self-esteem, being less popular, not socializing well with others, and suffering from disabilities.

Here are tips for preparing kids now for back-to-school bullies:

Discuss bullying now. Discuss bullying, including what it is and what to do about it. Talk about the different types of bullying, how to address it, and what to do if they see someone else being bullied.

Role-play. Act out some bullying scenes with the kids so they can practice responding to them. This will help put them more at ease if the real situation ever comes up.

Get others involved. Parents can start anti-bullying groups now, which will get more kids involved in helping to keep bullying out of the school. Kids can get together to discuss the issue and ways to respond.

Contact the school. Most schools have staff working over the summer. Contact the child's school to inquire about having an anti-bullying campaign kick off when school starts. Help them bring in a speaker, such as Stand for the Silent, and get together a group of kids for the anti-bullying task force.

Teach self-defense. It's never a good idea to encourage your child to fight, but there are some self-defense moves that they can learn to protect themselves should it get physical. Bullies tend to pick on those they feel won't stand up for themselves. Teach kids self-defense over the summer, such as enrolling them in karate. When kids are confident, they are more likely to stand up to a bully, and then the bully loses interest in that person.

"This school year, we are going to be rewarding students who help with anti-bullying at their school," added Smalley. "We want to encourage students to set the example and help create a kinder, more accepting school atmosphere."

Stand for the Silent is launching a program called Student Stand Out this school year. Teachers can nominate students who they feel stand out by being kind, addressing bullying, being a positive role model, having good leadership, having respect and integrity, and demonstrating actions that show initiative to end bullying at the school. Each week through the school year, one nominee will be chosen to receive a $50 Visa gift card, and at the end of each semester, one person will be selected to win a $100 gift card. The nomination period runs from August 1 to December 1 and then from January 1 to April 1. For more information about the program, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/schools/standout

Stand for the Silent travels the country, providing seminars and talks for communities and schools. They also offer helpful materials online to help people with bullying issues. Each year, they also give scholarships to students who help address bullying at their schools. To get more information on how to have the organization do a presentation or how to start a local chapter, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/

Smalley and his wife, Laura, started the organization following their 11-year-old son, ending his own life due to bullying. They turned their pain and loss into a mission of helping others. He travels the country giving presentations about bullying to schools, providing bullying prevention, giving out scholarships, offering intervention strategies, and more. Those interested in getting involved can start a chapter of the group in their area, obtain a free K-2 bullying prevention curriculum or cyberbullying handbook for parents, host a presentation at their school, introduce the How All Started video, and donate to help support the cause. To get more information, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/

About Stand for the Silent
Started in 2010, Stand for the Silent is an organization on a mission to help eliminate bullying nationwide. Kirk and Laura Smalley founded the group after their child took his own life due to bullying. They offer free resources for parents and educators and travel to schools to host presentations. They have been to over 6,025 schools and spoken with more than 4.15 million students. To get more information, visit the site at: https://standforthesilent.org/

Sources:
National Institutes of Health. Bullying. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/factsheets/bullying

Media Contact

Cher Murphy, Stand For The Silent, 571.263.2128, cher@chermurphypr.com, https://standforthesilent.org/

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SOURCE Stand For The Silent