The B.R.A.V.E. Program
(Bully Resistance and Violence Education)
The following information is from the model of a new program that was built in coperation with the South Surrey District 5 Community Police Station in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Unfortunately, after a two year run (from approximately 1998-1999) the BRAVE program in South Surrey is no longer actively running. However, this page will continue to carry the BRAVE model as publichsed during the time of its operation. More information on this and other anti-bullying programs will also be posted soon. If you have any questions about this program, or know of any other anti-bullying programs, please e-mail me at safeneighbors@yahoo.ca
Introduction
Statistics
Program Model
Volunteer Time Commitment
Volunteer Training
Anti-Bullying Seminars
Program Funding
The Program Future
Links
Go to the end of this page...
"The leading is a pattern or repeated aggressive behavior with
negative intent to direct it from one child to another where
there is a power imbalance."
- psychologist, Dan Olweus (Phd)
- The lien can be described as physical aggression, social
alienation and / or intimidation.
- Physical aggression can range from pushing in shelving and
escalate to threats with a weapon or conflicting bodily harm.
- Social alienation can range from gossip to the threat of total
isolation by peer group.
- Verbal aggression can start as teasing about closer possessions
and end up as verbal threats of violence or conflicting bodily farm.
- Intimidation can start from threatening to revealing personal
information to coercion and threatening with a weapon.
- Young children are more likely to be victims rather than older
ones due to power imbalance. The rate of the lien behavior seems
highest in 11 and twelve year Olds.
"I see bullying as a two sided issue. The first side is prevention.
We must prevent bullying characteristics from being established.
We can do this by teaching good impulse control techniques and
correct thinking (being able to avoid incorrect assumptions) as
proactive methods to prevent the lien behavior from becoming
established. We must help the use develop empathy, anger
management techniques and appropriate expressions of anger. It
is important that children learn that aggression as a problem
solving behavior is not acceptable. This has to be done before
each years of age. By 8 years old characteristics of behaving
aggressively or non-aggressively have already in established.
After that age we must teach how to handle bullying behavior.
This is the second side of the bully initiative and it is equally
important. We must teach how to prevent victimization and provide
follow the -up support. It will include assertive behavior and
communication skills, methods to enhance friendship making,
developing self-esteem and strategies to cope with bullying
behavior."
Table of Contents...
Statistics Canada reported that the number of young Canadians
each twelve to 17 charged with filing crimes rose 102% between
1986 and 1991. A British Columbia teachers federation task force
reported in 1994 that its members identified an increase in on
provoke a random tax of violence in younger children and more
females using aggressive behavior and violent language. A major
study in Toronto area schools found that bullying act of placed
on school grounds, and in other on supervised areas of the school,
every seven minutes and that staff were aware of only 4% of these
incidents. Status reported about themselves stated that 20 percent
were victim might occasionally, 8 percent were victimized frequently,
33 percent never sought help, and 13 percent admitted to bullying
others.
The task of "bully proofing" 19 schools with over 5,000 students
was overwhelming I couldn't do it alone I decided the best thing
would be to train teams of volunteers to commit to 1 school for
one-year.
Table of Contents...
The B.R.A.V.E. (Bully Resistance and Violence Education) program
is a brainchild of Cst. Dale Girling of the Prince George RCMP.
He based his brave program on Cindy Seddon's Bully Beware program.
His lesson plans are based on the teachers presenting the program.
Taking into account that teachers are unable, not unwilling, to
present new programs due to the already huge time commitment and
workload, I decided to implement the program using teams of
volunteers. These train, security cleared teams of volunteers
would attend the schools to present the program. They will work
in coordination with the already establish school curriculum and
that particular school's calendar. The teams will commit themselves
to a school for the school year. This way the status and teachers
get to know their team of brave volunteers and the brave volunteers
get to know the students and teachers. They will be able to tailor
the brave program to fit the individual needs of that particular
school. The school will receive a team based on a 1 to 100 or less
ratio. For example, the school with 345 will have a team of 4.
Smaller schools will be and now automated so no team has less than
three brave volunteers. Having a minimum size team will alleviate
anyone volunteer from becoming overwhelmed with the task in front
of them. They can take their normal holidays and know that the
school is still well supported with brave volunteers. Each team
will be prepared to lecture throughout the school year class by
class as well as providing support to the teachers and lunchtime
monitors. Dressed in highly visible brave uniforms, students will
be able to report incidents knowing they were seeds support from
B.R.A.V.E. volunteers. Monthly meetings will be a forum to maintain
support for the volunteers, operate training, covering the problems
arising, in shares excess stories.
Table of Contents...
Training: the initial training will consist of five 8 hour
days plus two meetings, a briefing before the training and a
debriefing after the training. As well as a meeting with the
principals of their school.
Program: the time commitment to the actual program will
vary. The pilot project will probably require more time than when
the program is up in running, as there will be pickups that require
extra time to determine a plan of action that can be used in the
future. Although when the program is up and running, the teams
may feel confident and start more activities, more one-on-one
counseling, more parent involvement, which will increase the time
commitment. It will remain to be seen how this will affect the
time commitment. Ultimately time commitments will be dependent on
the teams enthusiasm. Pilot programs based on one lecture per class
per month (school at 300, 30 to a class, 10 classes equal 10 hours
per month) plus playground commitment (perhaps half an hour in
morning and one-hour at lunch and half in hour in the afternoon
per day, one day a week) about two hours a week (8 per month),
preparation time (say half an hour per grade), monthly meetings
(will include additional training and problem solving,
brainstorming) 1-2 hours. About 24 hours a month without additional
projects. That works out to be six hours a week.
Table of Contents...
In order to combat this each old problem it is essentially train
the volunteers properly.
Brave volunteers can help teachers and parents recognize the types
of bullying and arm them with the skills required to deal with
bullying incidents. They can help the victims learned techniques
that will help avoid bullying incidents and what to do when one
occurs. Most importantly, we have to educate the 60 percent of the
students who are not involved in the bullying cycle. As with a
teachers and parents they must know how to identified bullying and
what to do about it. Brave volunteers will have to participate in
one briefing, for day long lectures that will cover understanding
juvenile violence, social skills, the Bully Beware program, and
conflict resolution. These lectures are also open to the community.
A fifth day long lecture is part of the training and is for
volunteers only. It is a workshop called "How to Bully Proof Your
School," and will give hands-on help for the teams in setting up
their individual programs.
Table of Contents...
Several professional lecturers will be training volunteers this
fall and hopefully throughout the lifetime of the program.
Here is some information about some of the lecturers who have
already presented:
"Understanding Juvenile Aggression"
Dr. Schimpf; PhD, Pshycology; and Dr. Nicole Aube
Dr. Schimpf is a developmental and clinical psychologist who
received his PhD from Simon Fraser University in 1987. He has
worked with violent offenders at the Regional Psychiatric Centre
in Abotsford, the Riverview Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam and
at the Willingdon Youth Detention Centre in Burnaby. He is also a
regular lecture at the RCMP Fairmont Academy and Justice Institute.
Dr. Nicole Aube is also a developmental and clinical psychologist
who received her PhD from Montreal University. She has a private
clinic where she treats adults, adolescents and children. She
provides investigative psychology consultations for the RCMP and
other Municipal Police forces in BC.
"Positive Echoes"
Mrs. Jan Marlow
This program teaches social skills. Jan Marlow graduated from
Simon Fraser University with a teaching scholarship in 1974 and
presently operates her own consulting business as a public
speaker and seminar facilitator. As an author of two health
programs designed to strengthen emotional competence and enhance
resilience she travels extensively speaking to both business and
educational groups. She has professionally produced a
communitcations video tape which has been marketed nationally.
Jan has more than twenty years experience as an educator, conselor
and business consultant.
"Bully Beware"
Mrs. Cindi Seddon
Cindi Seddon has been a teacher/educator for eleven years. Cindi
has taught students of all ages. She is currently the principal
of an elementary school in Maple Ridge. She has been working with
two partners on the issue of bullying in schools over the last two
and a half years, and she is the co-author of a book and video
entitled Take Action Against Bullying. Cindi believes
that bullying in schools can be considerably reduced through the
collective efforts of students, teachers, parents and communities.
"Conflict Resolution"
Mrs. Stacey Luckock
Stacey Luckock is a graduate of the University of British Columbia
and was a Senior Trainer at the Justice Institute in the Centre for
Conflict Resolution. She is currently a senior partner in Oldring
Consulting Group. She is an acknowledged and skilled interventionist
in the fields of Human Relations and Organizational Behaviour. She
is without a doubt one of the most in-demand trainers and keynote
speakers in North America with respect to Conflict Management. She
has conducted seminars for thousands of executives, managers,
organizations, industries, educators, parents and health care
professionals in Canada and the United States. Her active,
participatory seminars are charged with energy, humour and
creativity. Her work focuses on organizational development -
particularly strategic planning and skill building.
"How to Bully Proof your School"
Mrs. Lisa Pedrini
This lecture is open to B.R.A.V.E. volunteers and District 5
members only. Mrs. Pedrini is a teacher in the Surrey school
district.
Each lecture is structured to facilitate 200 participants.
Obviously those identified as B.R.A.V.E. volunteers will be
there had no cost. The rest of the seats will be open to the
public at a cost of twenty-five dollars each.
Table of Contents...
The White Rock Kiwanis club has committed themselves to help fund
the program. The South Surrey District 5 Community Police Board
is also helping to fund the program. Properly managed, revenues
from the lectures should make this program sell funding.
Table of Contents...
It has been an interesting ride and it has only started. We have identified for
schools in the South Surrey area for our pilot project. Chantrell Creek,
H.T. Thrift, Jessie Lee and South Meridian have signed on for a January start
date. We have 20 community volunteers that have been security cleared and
interviewed for suitability. For those who have trouble with the math that is
a team of five per school! Teams may be increased or decreased depending on the
results of the pilot program. We have just completed the the first run of the
training sessions. The only failing, if it can be callback, it is the low
attendance rate by the community at large. I am inclined to think that this
shortcoming is probably due to my lack of experience with the media. I find
the advertising difficult with a zero budget and even last time! However word-
of-mouth seems to be working and everyone the involved is very excited. Cindy
Seddon from the "Bully Beware" program is instigating her "Community Business
Kid Watch Program" in South Surrey to coincide with the official launch of our
B.R.A.V.E. Program.
A second lecture series is being planed to include the above speakers, as well
as some new ones, for next spring - probably during the months of April and May.
Exact dates should be posted early in 1999.
Table of Contents...
The following links are for information purposes only. We are not
responsible for the content found on any of these links:
Table of Contents...
