October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, an education and awareness initiative that began in 2006 in response to the widespread realization that bullying is not a “rite of passage” for kids, as it was long believed, but the source of serious problems such as school avoidance, loss of self-esteem, anxiety, and depression for many kids.
Last spring, the movie Bully stirred discussion about the problem throughout the country. This October, the film’s director will release a companion book: Bully: An Action Plan for Parents, Teachers, and Communities to Combat the Bullying Crisis (Weinstein Books; $15.99). Read an excerpt from the book here, then read our editorial director’s take on a parent’s role in bullying prevention.
Kicking off Bullying Prevention Awareness Month is World Day of Bullying Prevention on Oct. 1. STOMP Out Bullying, an anti-bullying and cyberbullying program for kids and teens, created the day four years ago and encourages everyone to wear blue shirts on Oct. 1 in a show of solidarity with the cause. Limited-edition 2012 Blue Shirts from STOMP are on sale at Bon-Ton stores($12; $8 is donated directly to STOMP Out Bullying). Other products are also showing support for anti-bullying organizations, including:
Chic Tees for the Cause
A portion of the proceeds from the Rock Candy Cares collection will go toward supporting the initiatives of anti-bullying organization Leave Out Violence (LOVE), which strives to reduce violence in communities and in kids’ lives. The collection includes several cute tanks and tees for young girls (sizes 7-14), like this 3/4-sleeve football-style tee that features a puzzle graphic with the words friends, respect, and peace interlocking on the front ($35). See the full collection at lesters.comor in Lester’s stores.
Anti-Bullying Antiperspirant
Secret deodorant’s Mean Stinks campaign encourages girls to stand up against bullying behavior. Actress Demi Lovato, who says she faced verbal harassment in middle school, is an ambassador for the cause. (Watch the video of Lovato’s visit to an East Harlem school last week.) For every stick of Clinical Strength Fearlessly Fresh ($7.50) sold, Secret will donate $1 to Girls on the Run to help give girls the courage to stand up against bullying. Girls can also make a pledge to have a drama-free year, learn how to make the “blue pinky swear” with friends, and get a custom cover photo and profile pic at facebook.com/secret.
Put Your Pride Where Your Mouth Is
Soap & Glory has teamed up with STOMP Out Bullying to create the PROUD MOUTH campaign. Over the next year, Soap & Glory will donate $1 of every Baby Doll Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss sold ($15; sephora.comand in Sephora stores) to help the STOMP Out Bullying HELPCHAT Line fund additional trained counselors to help kids who are being bullied and who are at-risk for suicide. The goal is to raise $25,000 for the cause.
Nerds Unite!
NERDS candies from Willy Wonka has also pledged to donate $25,000 to STOMP Out Bullying. “We are many NERDS united by our interests and individuality,” the campaign says. “Though we are all very different, when we stand together, there’s nothing we can’t do.” You can join the NERDS movement at facebook.com/wonka.
