Bullying & Social Conflict Workshop

Some topics to be covered include:

• Teaching the difference between normal social conflict and true bullying, and how to respond to each.
• Giving kids the tools to de-escalate conflict before it turns into a bullying situation.
• How to use emotional intelligence in determining whether a friendship is healthy or harmful, and learning to choose between good friends and bad friends.
• How to cognitively reframe bullying when it happens, in order to help protect yourself against negative effects such as anxiety and depression.
• How to avoid a culture of victim blaming in response to reports of bullying.
• Responding to dismissive claims of “they were just kidding” by teachers and parents of aggressors.
• Teaching kids how to effectively ask adults for help instead of just saying, “they are being mean to me.”
• Teaching kids the difference between tattling and reporting, and responding to the stigma of being labeled a tattletale.
• Implementing positive interventions for the aggressor instead of punitive responses. Zero tolerance policies have failed to reduce bullying. Pro-social interventions are more effective at teaching aggressors to feel empathy and compassion for their victims.
• Teaching students how to act as witnesses and allies instead of as passive bystanders when they encounter cruelty.