Youth attend the “Spread the Word to End the Word” Anti-Bullying Summit at Hill Center. Photo by Kimberly Purdy
LANSING, MI — Hundreds of students, teachers, community members and parents packed the auditorium at the Hill Center on March 14, to talk about the impact of bullying.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services states that bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
The “Spread the Word to End the Word” Anti-Bullying Summit was held by Special Olympics Michigan Area 8 Project Unify. The “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign is an international effort to end the use of the term “retarded” or “retard”.
The summit’s goal was to provide resources and support services to help improve student achievement. The collaborative group focused on changing the current school climate to be more inclusive and using programs that are in the best interest of all students including those with intellectual disabilities.
Many of the students who chose to speak were victims of bullying themselves. The students ranged from elementary school age to high schoolers. Their stories echoed with a sense of familiarity for most of those in the audience.
Bringing awareness about the issue of bullying was an eye opening experience for some of the students.
Priscilla Torres from Wainwright Leadership Government Magnet School said, “Today I learned that a large number of kids stay at home because they’re afraid of being bullied at school.”
Nationally known motivational speaker, Mo Stegall, spoke about how bullying impacted his life; as a young boy and a college student.
Photo by Kimberly Purdy
Nationally known motivational speaker, Mo Stegall shared statistics regarding bullying as he encouraged the students to be responsible regarding their actions.
He told the story of how he was bullied and how he did not allow the experiences to stop him from becoming successful. Students were called to the stage to express their dreams and goals for the future in a world without bullying.
Stegall told the audience never to give up on their dreams. He also reminded parents and teachers of the serious impact bullying can make on the life of a child.
Teacher Jefferey Champion, who attended the summit said, “I’m encouraged to see that our students’ leaders from Wainwright Leadership Government Magnet School were impacted by the presentations at the summit. It was great to have them learning with students from other schools.”
“Students need to recognize that crimes like bullying don’t pay, but divides us, and a civil society doesn’t function that way. I hope these students will continue to be positive role models for other students to follow and the world to see,” lamented Champion.
He praised the Lansing School District, Lansing Police Department and Special Olympics in providing information about the problems that arise from bullying and negative impact on our society.
For more information log on to www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov or www.somi.org.
This was printed in the March 25, 2012 – April 7, 2012 Edition
