Staff and students from the Hastings and Prince Edward School Board take part in an anti-bullying workshop. Photo by Matthew Blair
By Morgan Davy
BELLEVILLE – Local students got a chance to learn about what bullying is and how to prevent it this week.
The Quinte Sport and Wellness Centre played host to over 150 students from the Hastings and Prince Edward school board Wednesday for a Bullying Awareness Week workshop.
The day included snacks, guest speaker Michael Eisen, founder of the Youth Wellness Network, and exercises to help boost students’ self-esteem.
“We’re talking about that idea of caring for yourself so that you have love to give away to other people,” said Therese McMahon, student leadership co-ordinator for the school board.
McMahon said she hoped students would understand the connection between self-worth and bullying prevention: people who are happy with themselves are less likely to project negative things onto other people.
Federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay is joining in the fight. He introduced new legislation this week to try to address criminal behaviour associated with cyberbullying and help better protect Canadians from online exploitation.
The legislation would prohibit the non-consensual distribution of intimate images. It would also empower courts to make an order to prevent the sharing of these images, and order the removal of the images from the Internet.
“With the click of a computer mouse, a person can be victimized before the entire world. As we have seen far too often, such conduct can destroy lives. It clearly demands a stronger criminal justice response, and we intend to provide one,” said MacKay.
Kerry Donnell, communications officer with the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board, said she hopes that the new federal legislation will help people feel safer on the Internet.
“Anything that the community can do to support that media awareness can really help. It’s too bad that we have to go to the step to enact a law, but if it’s something that will create better situations for everyone, not just young people but older people as well, I think it’s very important,” she said.
Students from Kente Public School in Ameliasburgh who attended the event were asked how they felt about laws against cyberbullying.
Madeline Jones, a Grade 7 student at Kente, said she thinks bringing in the police would show bullies what it’s like to feel bad about themselves, and give them an opportunity to learn how to change.
“I think it would be a good idea because if the police know then they can maybe give the bully strategies to not do it anymore and tell them how bad it is,” she said.
Madeline said the workshop reminded her to treat people the way you want to be treated.
He thinks people need to see how common bullying is, he said.
“When it’s on the news it explains to everyone what bullying is,” he added.