The verdict came in today - guilty on most of the charges .... which essentially boil down to bullying.  But again (and again, and again) the cost to the victim was so high.  Arguably, the victim paid with the highest possible price - his life. The perpetrator was actually charged with several hate crimes - hence the possible length of the sentence.  The popular media is saying that the perpetrator will be deported ....

Truly, everyone connected to this event has been harmed.…

Watched this movie with my daughter (12 yrs old):  http://abcfamily.go.com/movies/cyberbully

She is online - on facebook, texts and IMs as the primary means to communicate with her friends, and is very involved in her social group.  She really liked the movie - she thought that it was very possible / plausible.  I think that…

http://www.change.org/petitions/mpaa-dont-let-the-bullies-win-give-bully-a-pg-13-instead-of-an-r-rating

 I haven't actually seen the movie as it has not been released, but the previews look like it's going to be a great film about educating kids about bullying.   They are considering rating this movie "R" instead of "PG-13".  Here is a letter from a high school…

Free To Be....Unbullied from MarloThomas .com on Vimeo.

It is heart breaking news, that another young person has committed suicide, after dealing with years of bullying at his school.   Click this link for more info and a full report at the huffingtonpost.

The family cannot afford a funeral.  If interested in donating…

Before watching, please note, that this is a powerful presentation.  Ultimately, full of hope.   However, there are some pretty disturbing and graphic photos in the video illustrating the points of the presentation.   Definitely an adult presentation.

We are in the business, of building…

Before watching keep in mind that there is very strong language in here.   The words are ones I am confident most middle school and high school students are hearing, and maybe even using.  

Just a warning though:

Losers from Everynone…

The parents of a 17-year-old Indiana high school student say the constant bullying their son suffered due to his Middle Eastern ethnicity culminated in a beating that injured his brain, and are suing the school district for failing to intervene as his physical and verbal abuse escalated.

For more on the story,Click…

Bullying is never okay. Here’s how you can be a kid against bullying!

Bullying can happen anyplace—on the playground, on the bus, in the hallways, even in the bathroom.

Bullying can be lots of things. It is hitting, pushing, name calling, threatening, teasing, sending mean e-mails, taking or ruining another person’s things, leaving someone out—and lots of other nasty stuff that’s done on purpose to hurt someone.

How can you tell if something is bullying? Just remember…

Our workshops with kids have a strong emphasis on influencing the bystanders, who are neither bullies nor victims, to make them show that they are against bullying and to make them support the victim, rather than encourage the bully (Salmivalli et al., 1996; Salmivalli, Kärnä, & Poskiparta, 2010; Salmivalli & Voeten, 2004)



During our presentation we aim to:



1.  Raise understanding and awareness of what bullying is, recognizing it when it happens, and the role the…

I know there will be those who will not see this as I do. But I do hope you will consider my argument and keep an open mind here and think seriously on this bullying problem. There are kids that end up killing themselves to escape their daily Hell of being habitually bullied.



Bullying is very serious and it can affect a person negatively for the rest of their lives. But just how and why does that occur?



First let’s look…

So, I've had several people ask, or comment, that perhaps I am taking this bulllying problem a little too seriously.   "It just happens"  or, "Kids just need to kick the kids butt a little bit, then it will stop". 

Consider this :

You are on your way home from work.  As you walk out onto the street, 7 or 8 of your coworkers start pushing you around.   They throw you to the ground, kicking dirt and gravel at you, yelling calling you names.   Then they drag you a block…

Mercer Island Martial Arts is teaching the 3rd Graders at Lakeridge Elementary on Mercer Island.

See Below from the Lion's Roar Newsletter:  http://lakeridgepta.org/Communications_files/Lions%20Roar%204-15-11.pdf

THIRD GRADERS WILL LEARN BULLYING SUCKS

Thursday, April 21 and Friday April 22

Instructors from Mercer Island Martial Arts will be visiting third…

Two teenage high school students committed suicide in separate incidents, and friends and family of both say they were harassed and bullied at school.

I was looking to see the changes, or actions taken by family, friends, schools since…