Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 43 Red Cross Bullying Prevention Education in Schools Through the Rotary Restorative Action Program (RRAP), youth learn how to eliminate issues such as bullying, conflict, and crime that stand in the way of their academic success and personal growth. RRAP includes the Red Cross bullying prevention program as an integral part of the life skills and leadership training provided to youth in several schools. At the beginning of the school year, one RRAP Coordinator in Saskatoon sat down with some students the first week of school to discuss how they were doing and what their concerns were for the year. They had a few different concerns, but one they all had in common was bullying – and not just at school. Between time at school, cell phones, social media, and instant messaging, one of the students said, “It’s like the bullies have an all-access pass to my life, I can never get away from them.” Red Cross trained several Bullying Prevention Teams in Saskatoon last year, including one in that school. Now, more teams of students, parents, and staff know what bullying is, how to prevent it and how to stand up for each other. With Red Cross bullying prevention training, these teams are working hard to stop bullying not just in their school, but in their whole lives. Red Cross is working with them to make bullying a thing of the past. That’s why the Red Cross has a fundraising campaign called Imagine...No Bullies. For more information on this campaign, visit www.redcross.ca/imagine. It takes a community to stand up to bullying Bullying is not just a school issue. It is a community issue that often surfaces in schools. In August 2010, Red Cross was very excited to join up with the Regina Board of Education, The Co-Operators, and the community to help eliminate bullying and create a safer environment for all. Through this partnership, 10 Regina Board of Education staff were trained in “Beyond the Hurt”, a Red Cross bully prevention education program. Since then, direct programming related to the issue of youth bullying has been provided in 10 schools. Parents have also received a bullying prevention message, as several of the trained teachers have shared this information during parent information evenings. Different approaches have been used by schools to expand the reach of bullying prevention education. Approaches include: linking bully prevention to peace education and Remembrance Day; using the novel “Crash” to engage students in a discussion on bullying; delivering presentations to students; and adding it into student council events. The Red Cross estimates that by spring of 2011, a minimum of 500 students will have been reached through just 10 trained staff. That is a significant amount of reach with a small amount of time and resources invested in training. For more information on RespectED Violence and Abuse Prevention education, visit: www.redcross.ca/saskatchewan. Riders Help Tackle Bullying During the 2010 off season, two Saskatchewan Roughrider players, Luc Mullinder and Weston Dressler, were trained by the Red Cross RespectED team to develop presentations for their use in schools throughout the province. In 2011, this initiative continued with Chris Getzlaf replacing Weston Dressler. So far, more than 10,000 youth have received a bully prevention message from these popular sports icons. Teachers were excited about the high level of student involvement and felt the quality of presentations was excellent overall. “This is really important work and I would rather do these presentations to youth then just sign autographs. This work makes a difference in the lives of kids.” – Luc Mullinder
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