Savannah Sand Gnats Anti-Bullying Program

Bullying – Let’s See What It is

Bullying• Bullying is when kids

hurt or scare other kids on purpose. 

• Bullying can hurt everyone.

• Kids who are bullied sometimes have a hard time standing up for themselves

What Is Bullying?Bullying is a widespread and serious problem that can happen anywhere.  It is not a phase children have to go through, it is not "just messing around", and it is not something to grow out of.  Bullying can cause serious and lasting harm.

Although definitions of bullying vary, most agree that bullying involves:•Imbalance of Power: people who bully use their power to control or harm and the people being bullied may have a hard time defending themselves•Intent to Cause Harm: actions done by accident are not bullying; the person bullying has a goal to cause harm•Repetition: incidents of bullying happen to the same the person over and over by the same person or group

Let’s Look at Types of Bullying

Types of BullyingBullying can take many forms. Examples include:•Verbal: name-calling, teasing•Social: spreading rumors, leaving people out on purpose, breaking up friendships •Physical: hitting, punching, shoving•Cyberbullying: using the internet, mobile phones or social media like Facebook or Twitter to harm others.

Our Bullying Knowledge• FACT: People who bully have power over those they

bully. 

• People who bully others usually pick on those who have less social power (peer status), psychological power (know how to harm others), or physical power (size, strength). However, some people who bully also have been bullied by others. People who both bully and are bullied by others are at the highest risk for problems (such as depression and anxiety) and are more likely to become involved in risky or delinquent behavior.

Our Bullying Knowledge• FACT: Spreading

rumors is a form of bullying. 

• Spreading rumors, name-calling, excluding others, and embarrassing them are all forms of social bullying that can cause serious and lasting harm. 

Our Bullying Knowledge• MYTH: People who bully

are insecure and have low self-esteem. 

• Many people who bully are popular and have average or better-than-average self-esteem. They often take pride in their aggressive behavior and control over the people they bully. People who bully may be part of a group that thinks bullying is okay. Some people who bully may also have poor social skills and experience anxiety or depression. For them, bullying can be a way to gain social status.

Our Bullying Knowledge• MYTH: Bullying usually

occurs when there are no other students around. 

• Students see about four out of every five bullying incidents at school. In fact, when they witness bullying, they give the student who is bullying positive attention or even join in about three-quarters of the time.

Our Bullying Knowledge• MYTH: Only boys

bully. • People think that

physical bullying by boys is the most common form of bullying. However, verbal, social, and physical bullying happens among both boys and girls, especially as they grow older. 

Effects of BullyingPeople Who are Bullied:•Have higher risk of depression and anxiety, including the following symptoms, that may persist into adulthood:•Increased feelings of sadness and loneliness•Have increased thoughts about suicide that may persist into adulthood.  In one study, adults who recalled being bullied in youth were 3 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts or inclinations.•Are more likely to have health complaints.  In one study, being bullied was associated with physical health status 3 years later.•Have decreased academic achievement (GPA and standardized test scores) and school participation.•Are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school.•Are more likely to retaliate through extremely violent measures. In 12 of 15 school shooting cases in the 1990s, the shooters had a history of being bullied.

Effects of BullyingPeople Who Bully Others:•Have a higher risk of abusing alcohol and other drugs in adolescence and as adults.•Are more likely to get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school.•Are more likely to engage in early sexual activity.•Are more likely to have criminal convictions and traffic citations as adults.  In one study, 60% of boys who bullied others in middle school had a criminal conviction by age 24.•Are more likely to be abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses or children as adults

A Recent Bullying DisasterTwo Minnesota girls who felt bullied by their peers killed themselves in an apparent suicide pact during a sleepover at one of the teen's homes.A family member found the bodies of Haylee Fentress and Paige Moravetz, both 14, on Saturday at a home in Island Lake Township, Minn.The girls hanged themselves and left suicide notes, one detailing plans for her funeral.

April 21, 2011

Paige Moravetz

A Recent Bullying Disaster"She requested everything pink and princess and butterflies," Fentress' aunt, Robin Settle, told ABC News in an interview.The two friends, who attended Marshall Middle School, reportedly felt like outcasts in their eighth-grade class.Settle said her niece was often teased about her appearance. She said Haylee, who was expelled from school for defending Moravetz in a fight, wanted to return to Indiana where she had recently moved from, according to reports."She was made fun of for being overweight, her red hair," Settle told ABC News. "She posted on my [Facebook] wall that she really wanted to come back....that the people were mean and cruel and she didn't fit in.”

Our Bullying KnowledgeMyth: Cyberbullying really isn’t a problem since there’s no actual verbal or physical contact.

Bullying can be even more destructive when no one is around except the person being bullied.

Our Bullying KnowledgeMYTH: Bullying often resolves itself when you ignore it. 

Bullying reflects an imbalance of power that happens again and again. Ignoring the bullying teaches students who bully that they can bully others without consequences. Adults and other students need to stand up for children who are bullied, and to ensure they are protected and safe. 

Our Bullying KnowledgeMYTH: All children will outgrow bullying. 

For some, bullying continues as they become older. Unless someone intervenes, the bullying will likely continue and, in some cases, grow into violence and other serious problems. Children who consistently bully others often continue their aggressive behavior through adolescence and into adulthood. 1972 presidential candidate George Wallace was permanently paralyzed when he was shot by a young man who had been badly bullied as a child remained desperate for recognition.

Our Bullying KnowledgeMYTH: Reporting bullying will make the situation worse. 

Research shows that children who report bullying to an adult are less likely to experience bullying in the future. Adults should encourage children to help keep their school safe and to tell an adult when they see bullying.

Our Bullying KnowledgeMYTH: Teachers often intervene to stop bullying.

Adults often do not witness bullying despite their good intentions. Teachers intervene in only 14 percent of classroom bullying episodes and in 4 percent of bullying incidents that happen outside the classroom

Our Bullying KnowledgeMYTH: Nothing can be done to reduce bullying.

Useful initiatives to prevent and stop bullying have reduced bullying by 15 to 50 percent. The most successful initiatives involve the entire community of teachers, staff, parents, students, and community members. And that’s where we come in!

First: What Can Bullied Kids Do?Nobody likes to be picked on.  What can children who are bullied do?•Speak up against bullying. Say something like, “stop it.”•Walk away. Act like you do not care, even if you really do.•Tell an adult you trust. They may have ideas about what you can do.•Stick together. Staying with a group might help. Act like you do not care, even if you really do.•Tell an adult you trust. They may have ideas about what you can do.•Stick together. Staying with a group might help

What Can the Sand Gnats Do?

We’ll be working with an organization called “LuckySports” which has launched a national campaign against bullying, employing sport as a vehicle to help young people understand the serious consequences of bullying and to create interventions that can reduce or even eliminate it.

Our Job

We’ll be reading a LuckySports book and listening to a CDROM about baseball and bullying to 2nd and 3rd graders. We’ll discuss what we’ve read with them and ask them to share their ideas about bullying – as it is portrayed in the book with us.

Our JobHappily, the folks at LuckySports have published Spanish language versions of some of their books and CDROMs – including the one we’ll be using about baseball. That will enable our Hispanic/ Latino players to read and discuss the book with Spanish speaking students in the schools with which we work.

Our JobWe’ll give students a workbook in which they can write their own interpretations of the story we’ve read to and with them. Then, when we return to the school, we’ll discuss what they’ve written and make suggestions as to how they might improve their work. Once they’ve finished, we’ll collect their books and review their work and write our comments.

Our JobFinally, we’ll bring the children to the ballpark, give them the books they’ve written along with our comments. In this way, they’ll have a memento of their experience with us and with a genuine effort to stop bullying. We’ll honor them on the field before the game. And we’ll even get Nate the Gnat to help!

Our JobWill we solve every bullying problem in the Savannah schools? Of course not. But given the esteem in which we as professional athletes are held by young people, we can and will make a difference!

ConclusionWe’re baseball players first and foremost. That’s what we do and that’s what we love – here in Savannah and everywhere we play the game!

ConclusionBut in a society in which the general welfare depends upon the civic responsibility of an engaged citizenry, we also have a responsibility to use all of the tools at out disposal to help create a fairer, more just society. And what better place for us to work than with the children who may only be 25% of our population but who are 100% of our future!