(Nanaimo, Mar. 14, 2013) - Nanaimo is the
first school district in B.C. to have trained youth in all its secondary
schools in bullying prevention. Today’s training in Ladysmith is
the seventh and final Canadian Red Cross bullying prevention training for youth
in the school district.
“Beyond the Hurt is an incredible
program,” said Jenna Mirau, a high school student and a Red Cross Youth
Facilitator in Nanaimo. “I really enjoy working with both younger and older
kids, showing them that being different is okay and how we should accept one
another.”
The Red Cross bullying prevention
program, Beyond the Hurt, trains youth and adults on how to prevent bullying,
how to safely intervene in bullying situations, and how to create healthy
environments in schools and communities. Red Cross trainers teach youth in high
school how to educate younger students in grades six and seven about bullying
prevention. This unique peer-facilitation model is very effective because
younger students look up to the older students as role models and are
positively influenced to change or prevent bullying behaviour.
“With the Red Cross anti-bullying
process of education and on-going support, we have seen the initiative grow
from two secondary schools to district-wide expansion including all secondary
schools one year later,” said Tom Piros, District Coordinator of Safe Schools
in Nanaimo.
“This is a time to celebrate the
achievements of a school district that is committed to taking a stand against
bullying,” said Carmen Christiansen, Red Cross Community Development
Coordinator. “The commitment of the school district is a model for our province
as they lead their community to stop bullying.”
These trainings were possible
thanks to the generous support of the United Way of Central and Northern
Island, Coast Capital Savings and Island Savings. Thrifty Foods
generously provided funding for a “train the teacher” session for this spring. Training
teachers to train youth ensures the Red Cross bullying prevention program
becomes sustainable and self-supporting in the years to come.
.
The Canadian Red Cross has been
involved with violence and abuse prevention programming for more than 25 years.
For more information, bullying prevention tips or to donate, please visit www.imaginenobullying.ca. For more information on the Red Cross Violence & Abuse Prevention
program, please visit www.redcross.ca.
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