Edutopia: Five-Minute Film Festival: Preventing Bullying

Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy) Edutopia Digital Media Curator

October is Bullying Prevention Month, and schools and families across the country are having frank discussions to raise awareness about bullying. It’s a subject that’s grown increasingly complex and troubling over the years: while in-person teasing and harassment has never flagged, new technologies have given rise to cyberbullying, which can be equally as damaging — and even more public. And news of tragic consequences stemming from cases of both kinds spreads quickly through social media.

Most statistics say that one out of four kids report being bullied, with numbers much higher for kids in certain groups, like LGBT teens or children with special needs. So it’s more important than ever that parents and educators are vigilant in encouraging kids to be empathetic, and to become “upstanders” rather than bystanders. While it’s easy to go down a pretty dark road when sharing stories about bullying, I wanted to mix up this collection with positive messages to share with your students, and introductions to some of the amazing organizations out there that offer tools for fighting back against bullying. Hopefully these videos will provide some good entry points for more discussion.

via Five-Minute Film Festival: Preventing Bullying.

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