Face of Facebook (bullying)
I had an opportunity last night to attend a presentation by Katie Cole (Thames Valley District School Board) which focused on the ugly side of social media. My reason for going was that I am not at all into these modern forms of communicating (Facebook, Twitter, etc) but I am frequently asked to deal with the fallout of bullying that has taken place through these sites. Katie gave a very thorough and informative description of both the good and bad aspects of social media and highlighted many tips about how to educate and protect our children. She also outlined the efforts that school boards are initiating in this area, but it has become very clear that there are increasing numbers of serious problems associated with these modern forms of communicating. The harsh reality is that social media is not going to go away and the problems are unquestionably going to increase. I applaud the efforts of people like Katie Cole and Bruce Langford who put so much effort into educating children all over Ontario on the safe use of social media.
One area of this problem that appears to be somewhat overlooked is the coaching of children that are being bullied. Individual coaching of children is one of the services I provide and it has made a world of difference for many children who are struggling by being bullied. I meet with the child and parents a number of occasions and teach them skills to diffuse bullying. I provide knowledge, support, encouragement and accountability which has been shown to empower children to solve their problems themselves.
Rick Harper of Behavioural Management Systems has been providing ideas to parents and children for over 40 years.