Breaking the Cycle of violence in the net neighborhood

Bullies are using high tech tools to threaten, stalk, ridicule, humiliate, taunt, and spread rumors about their targets.  The characteristics of bullying—imbalance of power, the intent to harm, the threat of further aggression, and the creation of terror—are magnified with the user of electronic technologies.

 Bullies are:
1.     emboldened by apparent anonymity afforded them in cyberspace
2.     removed from the immediate reaction of the target,
3.     far too often not held accountable for their actions.

Faceless and nameless electronic transmissions make it easy for bullies to torment their targets anywhere and at anytime, with apparent anonymity, distributing of irretrievable messages worldwide. Even though most cyberbullying occurs outside of school, it negatively impacts students and the school environment.  It has already led to violence—including murder and bullicide—in schools throughout the world.

The Cyberbullying workshop includes:
•  Cyberbullying:  What it is and what it isn’t
•  Ways and Means of cyberbullying
•  Stop, Copy, Block and Tell:  helping kids protect themselves
•  Decoding the code
•  The consequences of cyberbullying on the three characters in this tragedy
•  Out of sight—not out of mind:  the impact on the school and community environment
•  The legal, social, and psychological ramifications of cyberbullying
•  Media:  the good, the bad, the ugly, and the indifferent
•  Links to online resources
•  The Three P’s:  policies, procedures, and programs.