Thursday, September 13 was Nova Scotia’s Anti-Bullying Day and to commemorate it the South Shore Regional Centre for Education launched our Don’t Feed the Troll Campaign at every school, which will educate students about online safety and bully prevention.
Bullying by definition is when someone repeatedly tries to hurt another person’s feelings, self-esteem or reputation. It stops us from being who we want to be and can even make us feel unsafe. In our province 60 percent of students say they have been bullied.
“It is our belief that school communities must be safe, supportive and socially just, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect,” says Scott Milner, Executive Director of the South Shore Regional Centre for Education. “It’s important for us to educate students about bullying, its effects and also how to reach out for help.”
With today’s digital age, cyber-bullying is becoming an all too common occurrence. Our Don’t Feed the Troll Campaign is aimed at the prevention and reduction of cyber-bullying.
- What to do if you are being bullied:
Tell an adult if you are being cyberbullied.
Block the person who is bullying you and make sure you have strong privacy settings to protect yourself online.
Don’t respond to and don’t forward cyberbullying messages.
Another way to stop cyberbullying is: Don’t Feed the Troll. Online trolls are bullies who purposely says things to be mean or make you angry. By not responding to them, you are stopping them from reaching their goal of upsetting you.
We are also asking students to show us how they Don’t Feed the Troll through an artwork submission. They can submit art to their school office by Friday, September 28. On Monday, October 15 one student from each school will be chosen to have their art featured.
Milner adds “If we work together and model positive behavior, both in our schools and communities, we can put an end to bullying.”
