16 JANUARY 23, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
EDUCATION
How to empower kids to end bullying
From the classroom to the internet,
bullying can lead to children
developing a poor self-image or
lead to bullying others.
In fact, members of Generation Z
believe bullying is the biggest issue
facing their generation, according to
new data.
A survey of American youth ages
6-17, commissioned by the Boy Scouts
of America, the nation’s foremost
youth program of character development
and values-based leadership
training, found bullying ranked as the
top concern for young people in their
own communities, across the country
and on a global scale.
At the same time, 84 percent of those
surveyed said they want to be a part of
the solution.
Consider these ideas to help your
kids learn how to overcome, avoid and
break down the cycle of bullying:
Promote more time unplugged and
outdoors. It is important for parents
to promote healthy, face-to-face social
interactions. Outdoor activities allow
children to work together, solve problems
and bond in a way that typically
can’t be achieved through a screen.
They also give children a break from
the cyber-world, where bullying is
oft en prevalent.
Encourage kindness. Ninety-seven
percent of Gen Z members surveyed
said being kind is important. Encourage
kids to act on that feeling and
remind them that it doesn’t take any
extra energy to be kind. Serve as a
role model by making kindness a
foundation in your family, just as the
Boy Scouts of America have done. The
Scout Law lists being kind as one of 12
guiding characteristics.
Educate and equip. Parents should
educate their children about why bullying
is never OK, equip them with the
knowledge they’ll need to recognize
it and encourage them to report and
safely respond to all forms of bullying
they observe.
Use the buddy system. In Scouting,
the buddy system pairs kids together
to help ensure the well-being of one
another. This approach is used for
practical and safety reasons that can
also be applied to everyday life. A pair
or group of kids are less likely to get
bullied, and buddies can be supportive
by being an upstander.
Explore differences. As a family,
look for ways to get involved in
activities that include families from
different backgrounds and cultures.
Introducing kids to ideas and
lifestyles diff erent from their own
can be an enlightening experience,
and that knowledge can help break
down some of the barriers that contribute
to bullying, such as fear and
misunderstanding.
Learn more about ways Generation
Z and its supporters can help put an
end to bullying at Scouting.org.
IMPROVING COMMUNITIES
Creating a better community may
be a collaborative goal, but as survey
data from the Boy Scouts of America
shows, the solutions lie much closer to
home and can be inspired by the acts
of individuals:
• 97 percent of those surveyed said
being kind to others is important.
• 84 percent said they want to be a
part of solving community issues in
the future.
• 79 percent said improving their
community is important.
• 50 percent said the reason they
focus on some of these issues because
their parents are passionate about
them.
• Bullying was a top concern among
respondents, with 86% of respondents
saying that not being bullied is a daily
priority and 30% saying that out of
20-plus societal issues, bullying is
the problem they most want solved
globally.
• Other top concerns respondents
want to help solve are hunger (28 percent)
and care for elders (27 percent)
at the local level; animal rights (28
percent) and recycling (28 percent) at
the national level; and poverty (28 percent)
and human rights (26 percent) at
the global level.
— Courtesy of Family Features
/WWW.QNS.COM
/Scouting.org
