1

www.yama-dojo.ca

Yukon Academy of Martial Arts “Peaceful-Warrior”,

Anti-bullying School Program – 2013

Walk the path from Victim to Victor!

Basic lessons Part.1

By Sensei Vitold Jordan; 6th

Dan degree Black Belt, the Bully Expert

"When you empower your children with assertiveness/confidence, they

no longer face certain people and certain situations with fear!"

“Peaceful-Warrior” Kids – Grade 5th

Graduation at Holy Family School, Whitehorse, Dec.2012

2

" I am against war, against violence, against violent revolution, for peaceful settlement of differences, for nonviolent but nevertheless radical changes. Change is needed, and violence will not really change anything: at most it will only transfer power from one set of bull-headed authorities to another." - Thomas Merton

“And he said unto them, do violence to no man” - Luke 3:14

" I always believe in fighting; the question is – do you fight to change things, or do you fight to punish.... An eye for eye will make the whole world blind." – Gandhi

Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “The old law of an eye for an eye leaves

everyone blind. It destroys communities and makes humanity impossible. It creates

bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers... In winning our freedom,

we will so appeal to you heart and conscience that we will win you in the

process.“ Bullying is a form of aggression that unfolds within a relationship. The

teen who bullies uses aggression and control to maintain a position of power over

the victim. As bullying evolves over time, the power dynamics and inequality in

the relationship become stronger. The victimized teen gets caught in an abusive

relationship. This problem can also happen between groups of young people.

In schools, bullying occurs in all areas of school. It can occur in nearly any part in

or around the school building, though it more often occurs in PE, recess, hallways,

bathrooms, on school buses and waiting for buses, classes that require group work

and/or after school activities. Bullying in school sometimes consists of a group of

students taking advantage of or isolating one student in particular and gaining the

loyalty of bystanders who want to avoid becoming the next victim. These bullies

taunt and tease their target before physically bullying the target. Targets of

bullying in school are often pupils who are considered strange or different by their

peers to begin with, making the situation harder for them to deal with.

3

Bullying consists of three basic types of abuse – emotional, verbal and physical.

It typically involves subtle methods of coercion such as intimidation. The

"imbalance of power" may be social power and/or physical power. The victim of

bullying is sometimes referred to as a "target."Bullying is abusive treatment, the

use of force or coercion to affect others, particularly when habitual and involving

an imbalance of power. It may involve verbal harassment, physical assault or

coercion and may be directed persistently towards particular victims, perhaps on

grounds of race, religion, gender, sexuality or ability.

There is a strong link between bullying and suicide or "bullycide". Bullying leads

to many suicides among young people every year although it is hard to determine

exact numbers.

Many children have a good idea of what bullying is because they see it every day!

Bullying happens when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the

person being bullied has a hard time defending themselves. So, everyone needs to

get involved to help stop it.

Bullying is wrong! It is behaviour that makes the person being bullied feel afraid

or uncomfortable. There are many ways that young people bully each other, even if

they don't realize it at the time. Some of these include:

Punching, shoving and other acts that hurt people physically

Spreading bad rumours about people

Keeping certain people out of a group

Teasing people in a mean way

Getting certain people to "gang up" on others

The four most common types of bullying are:

4

Verbal bullying - name-calling, sarcasm, teasing, spreading rumours, threatening,

making negative references to one's culture, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, or

sexual orientation, unwanted sexual comments.

Social Bullying - mobbing, scapegoating, excluding others from a group,

humiliating others with public gestures or graffiti intended to put others down.

Physical Bullying - hitting, poking, pinching, chasing, shoving, coercing,

destroying or stealing belongings, unwanted sexual touching.

Cyber Bullying - using the internet or text messaging to intimidate, put-down,

spread rumours or make fun of someone.

______________________________________________________

What are the effects of bullying?

Bullying makes people upset. It can make children feel lonely, unhappy and

frightened. It can make them feel unsafe and think there must be something wrong

with them. Children can lose confidence and may not want to go to school

anymore. It may even make them sick.

Some people think bullying is just part of growing up and a way for young people

to learn to stick up for themselves. But bullying can have long-term physical and

psychological consequences. Some of these include:

5

Withdrawal from family and school activities, wanting to be left alone.

Shyness

Stomach-aches

Headaches

Panic Attacks

Not being able to sleep

Sleeping too much

Being exhausted

Nightmares

If bullying isn't stopped, it also hurts the bystanders, as well as the person who

bullies others. Bystanders are afraid they could be the next victim. Even if they feel

badly for the person being bullied, they avoid getting involved in order to protect

themselves or because they aren't sure what to do.

Children who learn they can get away with violence and aggression continue to do

so in adulthood. They have a higher chance of getting involved in dating

aggression, sexual harassment and criminal behaviour later in life.

Bullying can have an effect on learning.

Stress and anxiety caused by bullying and harassment can make it more difficult

for kids to learn. It can cause difficulty in concentration and decrease their ability

to focus, which affects their ability to remember things they have learned.

Bullying can lead to more serious concerns

Bullying is painful and humiliating, and kids who are bullied feel embarrassed,

battered and shamed. If the pain is not relieved, bullying can even lead to

consideration of suicide or violent behaviour.

6

How common is bullying?

Approximately one in 10 children have bullied others and as many as 25% of

children in grades four to six have been bullied. A 2004 study published in the

medical Journal of Pediatrics found that about one in seven Canadian children aged

11 to 16 are victims of bullying. Studies have found bullying occurs once every

seven minutes on the playground and once every 25 minutes in the classroom.

In the majority of cases, bullying stops within 10 seconds when peers intervene, or

do not support the bullying behaviour.

Students are most vulnerable to bullying during transitions from elementary to

junior high school, and from junior to senior high school.

There is a correlation between increased supervision and decreased bullying.

Bullies stop when adults are around.

7

What are the myths about bullying? Myth #1 - "Children have got to learn to stand up for themselves."

Reality - Children who get up the courage to complain about being bullied are

saying they've tried and can't cope with the situation on their own. Treat their

complaints as a call for help. In addition to offering support, it can be helpful to

provide children with problem solving and assertiveness training to assist them in

dealing with difficult situations.

Myth #2 - "Children should hit back - only harder."

Reality - This could cause serious harm. People who bully are often bigger and

more powerful than their victims. This also gives children the idea that violence is

a legitimate way to solve problems. Children learn how to bully by watching adults

use their power for aggression. Adults have the opportunity to set a good example

by teaching children how to solve problems by using their power in appropriate

ways.

Myth #3 - "It builds character."

Reality - Children who are bullied repeatedly, have low self-esteem and do not

trust others. Bullying damages a person's self-concept.

Myth #4 - "Sticks and stones can break your bones but words can never hurt

you."

Reality - Scars left by name-calling can last a lifetime.

Myth #5 - "That's not bullying. They're just teasing."

Reality - Vicious taunting hurts and should be stopped.

Myth #6 - "There have always been bullies and there always will be."

Reality - By working together as parents, teachers and students we have the power

to change things and create a better future for our children. As a leading expert,

Shelley Hymel, says, "It takes a whole nation to change a culture". Let's work

together to change attitudes about bullying. After all, bullying is not a discipline

issue - it is a teaching moment.

Myth #7 - "Kids will be kids."

Reality - Bullying is a learned behaviour. Children may be imitating aggressive

behaviour they have seen on television, in movies or at home. Research shows that

93% of video games reward violent behaviour. Additional findings show that 25%

of boys aged 12 to 17 regularly visit gore and hate internet sites, but that media

literacy classes decreased the boys' viewing of violence, as well as their acts of

violence in the playground. It is important for adults to discuss violence in the

media with youth, so they can learn how to keep it in context. There is a need to

focus on changing attitudes toward violence.

8

" Non-violence is not a cover for cowardice, but it is the supreme virtue of the brave.

Exercise of non-violence requires far greater bravery than that of swordsmanship.

Cowardice is wholly inconsistent with non-violence.

Translation from swordsmanship to non-violence is possible and, at times, even an easy stage.

Non-violence, therefore, presupposes ability to strike.

It is a conscious deliberate restraint put upon one' s desire for vengeance.

But vengeance is any day superior to passive, effeminate and helpless submission.

Forgiveness is higher still. Vengeance too is weakness.

The desire for vengeance comes out of fear of harm, imaginary or real.

A dog barks and bites when he fears.

A man who fears no one on earth would consider it too troublesome even to summon up anger against one who is vainly trying to injure him.

The sun does not wreak vengeance upon little children who throw dust at him. They only harm themselves in the act."

9

Benefits of Anti-bullying Program

Don't be a victim - be a Victor!

“Respect, righteousness, compassion, and honesty are the foundation of the

true Martial Art”.

- Sensei Vitold Jordan

Improved physical fitness: Make no mistake: training in Martial Arts is a great

workout! It is a total body workout – your stamina, muscle tone, flexibility,

balance and strength will all show signs of improvement.

Enhanced self esteem: By learning these skills and improving your physical

condition, you become more comfortable in all situations – whether you’re in

danger or simply doing a task that takes you beyond your comfort zone. Kids have

a new sense of self-confidence, making them virtually “bully proof.”

Increased focus and concentration: From the very first day of class, students are

challenged to think as much as they act. Learning the forms and movements

reinforces working memory.

Increased social skills: Martial arts strongly emphasize self discipline and self

control as a core component of its teachings. Self leadership and the ability to deal

with others in a mature way is the result.

Stress relief: practical self-defense, sword and staff combat combined with kiai

(screaming) are a great release, no matter what your age.

Respect for values: Honesty, respect, righteousness, sincerity, integrity, courage,

perseverance, excellence, and etc. are some curriculum areas of focus. These

qualities help both children and adults become great leaders.

10

“Peaceful-Warrior” Kids – Grade 5th

Graduation at Holy Family School, Whitehorse, Dec.2012

Self-defense skills

Precision and timing

Speed and agility

Self-discipline

Health and fitness

Vitality

Flexibility and stamina

Mindfulness

Awareness

Will-power

Harmony of mind and body

Inner peace and calmness

Stress reduction

Intuition

Self-confidence

Self-control

Self-worth

Independence

11

Strength of character

Friendship

Virtue

Fearlessness

Courage

Respect

Compassion

Righteousness

Honor

Calligraphy: "Respect - Unity - Peace - Love"

For more information please visit our websites: www.yama-dojo.ca and www.yeshuado.com

E-mail: yeshuado@gmail.com phone: 1-(867)-333-0997

"The Way of the Warrior Is To Stop Trouble Before It Starts"