an uptick in violence in Ontario schools<\/a>, Volk says dedicating resources to anti-bullying behaviours early and intentionally can be a key way to positively impact outcomes.<\/p>\nData collected by Volk\u2019s team shows the increase being seen provincially isn\u2019t universal, however, suggesting that with the right focus and resources, some school boards seem to be able to buck this trend.<\/p>\n
For students who are the victim of bullying behaviour, Volk recommends seeking support as soon as possible, confiding in either a trusted teacher, parent or classmate.<\/p>\n
Finding a group to connect with \u2014 whether online, an in-person club or an extracurricular group \u2014 also comes with its benefits, creating a circle of support. Students may also consider removing themselves from spaces where they may encounter their bully, taking courses at different times throughout the year and avoiding run-ins in the halls.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat kind of mobility can be a way of diffusing the situation,\u201d Volk says.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also important for victims not to blame themselves or see the fact that they were targeted by a bully as a reflection of a flaw within themselves, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBullying is often strangely impersonal. The target often doesn\u2019t matter, and the bully is just using them to make a point.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also stresses that \u201cfighting back\u201d is often not the best approach to stop bullying.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s the best way to stop it and it’s the best way to make it worse, so it’s really a risky strategy,\u201d Volk says. \u201cThe reason why we don’t emphasize confrontation is because bullying is a power imbalance. So, we’re really looking for solutions that don’t require the victim to have to overcome the power balance by themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volk encourages parents, teachers and students to have early and frequent conversations around bullying.<\/p>\n
Parents can also watch out for signs that point to a problem.<\/p>\n
“You want to look for either a change or continuation of not wanting to go to school or not feeling well \u2014 those are the two easiest signs,\u201d he says. \u201cIf they start off enthusiastic and then that drops off quickly, that’s a sign that something has gone wrong. This is the time to catch it and nip it in the bud if you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
For parents who suspect their child may be bullying others, it\u2019s key to appeal to their desires for power and popularity \u2014 frequent motivations for these actions \u2014 while showing that kindness is more effective than coercion, Volk says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome kids have a real drive for recognition. They want to be the centre of attention. They want that social visibility \u2014 and they’re potentially willing to bully to get it,\u201d he says. \u201cBut if we help them understand you can get that power and be liked, even gaining more ground through kindness, then you’ve created a more pro-social peer structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both adults and kids value strength and kindness, Volk says.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see this with the great leaders of the 20th century who were powerful and strong but also able to make alliances, working and co-operating with others,\u201d he says. \u201cTeaching these skills to youth in our schools will foster kindness in the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As kids prepare for a return to class,\u00a0Brock University Professor of Child and Youth Studies Tony Volk\u00a0says it\u2019s important to stop bullying early.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":104086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4767,1,38],"tags":[45,522,3502],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104085"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104085"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104089,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104085\/revisions\/104089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}