Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Children's Home Boys Stand Firm Against Bullying(as seen in the Reading Eagle)

Wearing lime green T-shirts, the 50 or so boys living at the Children's Home of Reading stood side by side and read an anti-bullying pledge during a recent pep rally.

In booming voices, they vowed to "stand up" against bullying, not simply stand by.

Part of the pledge reads: "I think being mean stinks. I won't watch someone get picked on. Because I am a do-something person, not a do-nothing person. I care. I can help change things. I can be a leader. In my world there are no bullies allowed."

The Children's Home has not had an increase in bullying reports. However, administrators said they believed that creating an anti-bullying campaign was a proactive way to address the issue and its effects, which have garnered national attention in recent months.

"As an organization, we take bullying seriously," said Vincent J. LaSorsa, president and chief executive officer of the Children's Home. "It's a critical issue that affects the kids."

Interest in the issue began when clinician Phyllis Lawler showed the video "Bullied," which is part of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance program, to a group of boys this past fall. The boys then discussed bullying: whether they had been the aggressor, victim or bystander.

Noticing an interest, administrators decided to address bullying in an educational and entertaining way.

The first step was hosting a kickoff pep rally in December that included talks from staff members and community members, as well as the pledge. The boys all wore the anti-bullying T-shirt, which features the words "Stand Up" in blue print, to represent unity, said Mindy McIntosh, development coordinator at the Children's Home.

In the coming months, the Children's Home will have monthly discussion groups that focus on bullying, additional pep rallies to keep morale high and special T-shirt days. The main goal is for the boys to break the cycle of bullying, make speaking up a habit and seek positive resolutions to bullying.

"The crux is we want them to be a do-something person and say 'I will not stand by.' We're focused on that," said clinician Kristin Huntzinger. "When they live here, it's our own little community, but we hope that they take this with them wherever they go next."

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