Cyberbullying is a global problem

NEW YORK — More than 10 percent of parents around the world say their child has been cyberbullied and nearly one-fourth know a youngster who has been a victim, according to a new Ipsos/Reuters poll.

And more than three-quarters of people questioned in the global survey thought cyberbullying differed from other types of harassment and warranted special attention and efforts from parents and schools."

The data clearly shows an appetite among global citizens for a targeted response to cyberbullying," said Keren Gottfried, of the global research firm Ipsos, which conducted the poll.

But, she added, whether or not schools live up to this mandate is in the hands of educators.

The online poll of more than 18,000 adults in 24 countries, 6,500 of whom were parents, showed the most widely reported vehicle for cyberbullying was social networking sites likes Facebook, which were cited by 60 percent.

Mobile devices and online chat rooms were a distant second and third, each around 40 percent.

While the report showed that awareness of cyberbullying was relatively high, with two-thirds saying they heard, read or had seen information on the phenomenon, cultural and geographic differences abounded.

In Indonesia, 91 percent said they knew about cyberbullying, in which a child, group of children or younger teen intentionally intimidates, threatens or embarrasses another child or group through the use of information technology such as social media or mobile devices.

Australia followed at 87 percent, while Poland and Sweden trailed slightly behind. But only 29 percent in Saudi Arabia, and 35 percent in Russia, had heard of cyberbullying.

In the United States, where cases of cyberbullying have been widely reported to have been linked to teen-age suicides, the figure was 82 percent.

Gottfried described the survey as the first global study of its kind and a benchmark to where assessments of cyberbullying vary.

"The key to this study is that it measures parental awareness of cyberbullying, not actual rates of the behavior," she said. "While we can't speculate on what actually happens, it is quite possible that the proportion of children actually being cyberbullied is in fact understated, since we are speaking with the parents, not the kids."

In India 32 percent of parents said their child had experienced cyberbullying, followed by 20 percent in Brazil and 18 percent in Canada and Saudi Arabia and 15 percent in the United States.

The highest incidence of people knowing of a child in the community being targeted was in Indonesia, with 53 percent. But only 14 percent there said their child had been cyberbullied — less than in Canada, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Overall, parents in France and Spain reported some of the lowest incidence of cyberbullying either of their own child or one in their community.

Gottfried said that future studies could show whether there was a trend toward greater awareness of cyberbullying, and shed some light on what affects parental awareness.

The complete list of results and countries can be found athttp://www.ipsosglobaladvisor.com/

Parents must be involved

Together they will present a special program for kids and their parents giving you self-esteem tips and tools to become fully empowered in today’s world against mean girls, bullies, confusing media messages, and your own critical and self-doubting voice inside your head. Empower yourself by joining Debra and these inspiring teen role models who demonstrate how fun it can be to ‘BE YOU’ and make a positive difference in the world!

Tickets are only $5 for kids 7-17 CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE KIDS TICKETS and $10 for adults (Debra Gano Workshop only) CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ADULT TICKETS or are available by calling (303) 731-6695 or at the door.

This event is a HUGE extravaganza with many speakers/programs beginning 11-11-11, so check out all the Evolve Expo activities by clicking HERE. The Evolve Expo takes place at the Denver Merchandise Mart (I-25 & 58th) MAP

Debra and Cassandra are passionate about helping kids to reach their fullest potential and navigate the challenges today’s kids face – you won’t want to miss this incredible opportunity to see them together on stage!

CONTINUE READING FOR MORE ABOUT DEBRA and CASSANDRA…

]]> http://kidsafe.com/2785/how-to-be-extraordinary-an-empowerment-primer-for-tomorrow%e2%80%99s-leaders-nov-12/feed/ 0 http://kidsafe.com/2671/rock-to-stop-the-violence-bullying-and-cyberbullying-prevention/ http://kidsafe.com/2671/rock-to-stop-the-violence-bullying-and-cyberbullying-prevention/#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:01:35 +0000 kidsafe http://kidsafe.com/?p=2671  

from: Kid Safe

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Eagles wideout DeSean Jackson surprised bullying victim Nadin Khoury on The View earlier this year to show his support for the victim.

Illustration by Darrow

 

In this week's SI, I wrote an essay about DeSean Jackson of the Eagles. In it, I neglected to mention the enormous human tragedy of the Eagles losing three football games and instead focused on something else: Jackson's crusade against bullying.

Inspired by a Pennsylvania kid named Nadin Khoury, who stood up against bullies, Jackson spent the offseason on his anti-bullying campaign. Jackson believes athletes can make a huge difference when it comes to stopping bullying.

In many ways, it is the ideal cause for a pro athlete — exactly the right way to use our country's sports-idol worship for the greater good. There are a million great causes, of course. Anybody who raises money to fight a disease or help underprivileged kids is doing a wonderful thing. But athletes are uniquely suited to fight bullying. From elementary school to pick-up games at the Y, they command respect from their peers. They epitomize cool. And if they say bullying is not cool, that resonates.

But it occurs to me that sports can make a huge impact on stopping bullying in another way, too. We just have to view sports differently.

Playing sports is supposed to build self-esteem, keep us mentally and physically healthy and teach us how to work with others. But Leila Steinberg, who works with Jackson on his anti-bullying campaign, said: "The dynamic of cooperation has to come in addition to competition. We've kind of lost that."

Why?

"The parents half the time are the worst," Steinberg said. "They don't know how to watch their (kids') games. If we're honest, we live through our kids. I started observing all the parents who don't live through their kids in a healthy way. I started seeing this dynamic … You see these parents fighting in the stands."

Many parents are so worried about teaching their kids how to win that they never teach them how to lose. I'm not just talking about the infamous parents who measure their kids' muscles at birth, have them lifting weights as an infant and don't let them walk near a Dairy Queen, let alone stop in and have a cone. In fact, I explicitly am not talking about those parents. I think it's too easy to point to them and say, "They're the ones with lousy priorities. They don't get it. I do."

I'm talking about the rest of us. We tell eight-year-olds to focus on one sport year-round. It is commonplace for kids switch high schools to get more playing time. Kids learn that winning is the most important thing, even if nobody says it directly.

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TIME.COM: WHAT 10 FAMOUS FILMS TEACH US ABOUT BULLYING

And as a result, instead of feeling good about accomplishing whatever they can accomplish, they think sports are just about beating somebody. They don't get the social benefits of playing sports: improved self-esteem and a comfort and understanding of who they are. If more people had that, we would treat people better. We wouldn't bully as much.

What if we told our kids to focus on helping their teammates, not beating their opponents? The on-field objectives would be the same: To excel athletically and try to win. But the reasons for playing would change. Sports would be a much more positive experience.

Steinberg's nonprofit, Alternative Intervention Models, encourages kids through the arts and athletics. Think about how differently we view those endeavors. We don't send kids on traveling art teams. If a 10-year-old draws something surprisingly beautiful, we don't angle to turn him into a millionaire by 25.

We seem to understand that arts are an outlet for creative expression and self-discovery. Sports should be more like that. What if you saw your kid out on the baseball field and viewed him not as a hitter, but as a painter? What if he wasn't trying to be a hero to others, but to himself?

Sports will never be exactly like the arts. Most of our sports are team games, so more people have a vested interest in the result. We can let people down in sports, and we don't cheer at art exhibitions.

"With arts, it is usually self-driven," Steinberg said. "Sports, it's much more acceptable, it's much more social. A lot of times, those that are drawn to the arts for that outlet. It's not done in the community in the same way. The participation is not the same. That's why sports is so much more important in terms of tools you can instill. You have everybody in the family observing."

Still, if sports were more like the arts — marked more by encouragement than discipline, with a different measurement of success — we would get so much more out of them. "The potential for reframing how we work with our kids is huge," Steinberg said.

We can start by redefining what it means to win.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/michael_rosenberg/10/06/bullying/index.html#ixzz1bLIYpyf0

from: Kid Safe

The article below is titled "How to Bully Proof Your Kid."  Kidsafe.com has free reports to help you. 

 

Tune in all this week for a special series devoted to bullying and its damaging effects on our children, on "AC360º" at 8 p.m. ET. Then tune in Saturday night at 8 ET for "Bullying: It Stops Here," a special town hall discussion led by Anderson Cooper.

(CNN) — Miranda Jones can remember many afternoons in the counselor's office in her small-town Colorado middle school, crying about other kids relentlessly teasing about her weight.

She'd change clothes in the bathroom stall after gym so the other girls wouldn't laugh at her size. By high school, she was spending countless hours in the library reading to avoid social situations and the possibility of being teased. She rarely complained to her teachers, assuming they would just make it worse if they confronted her bullies.

"I went out on a limb (my freshman year in high school) and decided to join the speech and debate team, which filled countless hours of time that I would have otherwise spent being sad about my lack of friends," says Jones (who didn't want to reveal her real name because she's embarrassed by what happened to her). "Thanks to that activity, I actually made some wonderful friends. I had something to do every weekend. And I was good at it. That was the biggest thing, I think. I excelled at something that terrified most other people my age, and in that, I had some power."

Now at a top-ranked women's college in the Northeast, Jones is grateful her debate coaches helped her find something she loved that kept her focused and got her into college. "Without an after-school activity, academic support from adults and without constantly reminding myself that it wasn't going to last forever, I never would have survived the endless taunts of my peers."

Battling back against bullying Teen bullying interveners The roots of bullying Getting to the root of bullying

It's unfortunate that our children will get bullied at school, whether it's about their appearance or dress, their academic ability or hobbies, a disability or just the fact that they're the new kids in town.

Schools with vigorous anti-bullying programming are more likely to stop bullies in their tracks, but not every school has a commitment to stopping the abuse. However, there are things parents can do to strengthen their children before the bullying starts, convince them to tell parents if a verbal or physical attack occurs, and keep them safe.

Start early. Does your child understand the difference between thinking, feeling and action?

Starting when their son was 3, psychologist Tammy Hughes and her school psychologist husband started teaching him. At night, they'd say, "Tell me three good things that happened to you today." This helped him make the distinction between events and his feelings about them.

Once he had that mastered, they added, "Tell me three good things that happened to someone else (lesson: the world includes me and other people, their feelings and actions)."

Next they asked, "Tell me something you did that worked out well. Now, tell me something that someone else did that worked out well for someone else."

"These simple questions help children differentiate themselves and others, and (teach them) cause and effect. If you can connect these ideas and feelings, then it helps children to prepare to identify bullying — negative versus positive behaviors — and who did what to cause the outcome," says Hughes, chair of Duquesne University's department of counseling, psychology and special education and co-author of "Understanding Girl Bullying and What to Do About It: Strategies to Help Heal the Divide." "These simple steps help children to guard against blaming themselves for the bullying of others and to help them feel they can act to change the situation."
When their son turned 6 and was introduced to his school's formal bully prevention curriculum, he already knew how to talk about feelings and their source and how to act according to the school's instructions about bullying.

"Parents and teachers will find that it is not how savvy they are in their conversations with their child, but rather how often they engage the child in preparing for thinking, feeling and action when the parent is not around," says Hughes.

Develop a sense of self. A sense of self isn't about children feeling good all the time or getting a trophy for showing up to every soccer game. It's teaching a child to have core sense of sturdiness so her sense of who she is isn't defined by the whim of her peers.

Parents show their children they know them when they choose an activity with them, discuss personal problems, and talk about their day. It's also reflected when a parent makes a comment about something unique or challenging for a particular child.

"It's about parents really being tuned into their children and the kind of people they are," says Richard Weissbourd, a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and author of "The Parents We Mean to Be." "We want to reflect back to them who they are, whether they are spirited, soulful, feisty, funny or strong-willed. It's not explicitly praising them a lot that matters. It's demonstrating a deep knowledge of and affirming who they are."

Encourage courageous behavior. Bullying flourishes in school communities when most of the community stays silent while the bullies attack.

Bullies have power when the audience of bystanders is silent. Bystanders should speak out to the bully and or officials.

"When one kid gets bullied, everyone is silent or laughs or goes along with it because they don't want it to turn on them," says Kenneth Ginsburg, a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and co-author of "Letting Go with Love and Confidence: Raising Responsible, Resilient, Self-Sufficient Teens in the 21st Century." "They sacrifice someone to keep themselves safe."

Teachers and coaches can encourage students to speak up when someone is attacked. Any student can encourage members of their team or club to do the right thing, but those lessons often start at home.

Raise your child with character and values, sharing stories of people (including you) who have done the right thing in the face of adversity. That way they can stand up against bullying or other injustice when it occurs at school. "Character is about doing the right thing when nobody is watching or when it's hard to do," says Ginsburg. "The person with character says, 'not in my presence.'"
Look in the mirror. Become aware of your own behavior, because your children will copy you.

Parents who are reasonable, calm and practice problem-solving in the face of stress and uncertainty model those skills and attitudes for their children. Once they see it works, children can develop that peaceful approach to their world and the bullies within it.

"Parents whose default response is one of intimidation may inadvertently model bullying behavior for their children," says Donna Henderson, a professor of counseling at Wake Forest University. "Or, if parents are the targets of bullying behavior from other adults and they don't address it directly, kids will assume that's the way to respond to bullies."

Develop overlapping circles. Encourage your children to become involved in after-school activities and clubs that they enjoy.

That will help them make friends with different groups of children. If one group turns on your child, he will have other friends to support him and remind him he's not alone.

"This is great for building self-esteem and gaining a greater sense of purpose," says Virginia Wilkins, director of mentoring for College For Every Student, a nonprofit that helps underserved youth prepare for college and supports them once they're there. "Say my child is being bullied in an art group. Having other social groups lets my child experience something very different. It's not all or nothing."
Develop physical confidence. Some children benefit from developing a sense of their own physical strength, whether in martial arts or another discipline.

Being able to understand the physical movement of one's body is key to establishing a child's place in the world, says triple black belt holder Kris Wilder, a Franciscan monk and co-author of "How to Win a Fight." "The success of martial arts is that it creates an immediate and indelible link to the internal sense of a child's being via external drills and discipline," says Wilder, owner of West Seattle Karate Academy.

"This makes a child more confident, (which) carries over into how a kid holds himself in the world. Bullies are predators by nature and prefer the weak as prey. A confident child is less likely to be a victim, and martial arts provides this platform for creating a resilient, confident child."

When it's not what it seems. A Los Angeles couple brought their daughter to child psychologist Wendy Mogel because she was getting bullied in school. It turned out the girl was provoking other kids to bully her because she was jealous of the amount of attention her parents gave her little brother.

"She found she could get a tremendous amount of attention with a daily download of bullying and less attention would be paid to her adorable little brother," says Mogel, author of "The Blessing of a B Minus: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Resilient Teenagers" and other books. "When they stopped rewarding her, it stopped. I advised them to catch her being strong and pay attention to that behavior."

from: Kid Safe

Digital Defense is partnering with the Alamo ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) during National Cyber Security Awareness month to provide community education forums at no cost to the public.

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) October 12, 2011

Digital Defense, Inc. (DDI), a San Antonio-based corporation and leading provider of Information Security solutions, is partnering with the Alamo ISSA (Information Systems Security Association) during National Cyber Security Awareness month to provide community education forums at no cost to the public. DDI will host two of these informational sessions:

Protecting Yourself Online – Wednesday, October 19th, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

This session is designed to highlight risks associated with online computer use with real world examples and recommendations for testing and resolving computer security issues.

Child Safe – Thursday, October 20th, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

A program designed to educate and provide a place that parents can come to learn about protecting themselves and their families from online threats, both as they exist today and where they are going tomorrow.

“With the arrival of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we thought it would be a great idea to launch educational programs related to computer security at no charge to help educate citizens on how to better protect themselves online,” stated Matt Hajda, president of Alamo ISSA. “These sessions, along with the mentoring of students for the CyberPatriot Competition, all align with our overarching mission to educate and expand the knowledge and skills of ISSA members in information security. We appreciate DDI’s participation in helping to bring further awareness to the importance of information security education.”

Digital Defense CEO and President, Larry Hurtado added, “We are pleased to be a play a role in heightening awareness around cyber security. The October forums align with San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro’s recent proclamation which recognizes National Cyber Security Awareness month and encourages government, research, and business organizations to engage in activities to educate citizens of the importance of implementing proper computer and network security procedures and online safety practices.”

To learn more about the cyber security awareness events, visit the Alamo ISSA website.

About Alamo ISSA Chapter

The Alamo ISSA Chapter of ISSA was founded in 2000 and meets monthly in San Antonio, providing members with education and networking opportunities. Meetings are open to the public, and schedules are available at http://alamo.issa.org.

About ISSA

ISSA, http://www.issa.org, is the largest international professional association for information security professionals. With 10,000 members in 70 countries and a network of 152 chapters, ISSA is dedicated to expanding the knowledge and expertise of information security professionals and the development and evolution of industry practices. Members are consistently recognized as experts on critical issues in the field and are seen as important resources for small businesses, global enterprises, and government organizations.

About Digital Defense

Digital Defense, Inc. (DDI) is a leading provider of security governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) solutions. Our unique combination of managed, cloud-based services, gives our clients maximum flexibility in the implementation of their security programs. We provide the insight necessary for organizations to protect their critical customer and business information while allowing them to focus on their business, rather than dedicate resources to network security. DDI clients enjoy greater visibility and management insight of their enterprise-wide GRC programs using DDI’s proprietary Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery platforms and assessment tools. For more information about Digital Defense, please visit our web site at http://www.ddifrontline.com or contact us at 888.273.1412.

Reader Contact Information

Digital Defense, Inc., 9000 Tesoro Drive, Suite 100, San Antonio, Texas, 78217

Phone – 210.822.2645, Fax – 210.822.9216

http://www.ddifrontline.com

###

Digital Defense and the Shield Logo are Registered Service Marks of Digital Defense, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Patty Koebele
Digital Defense, Inc.
210.582.6128
Email Information

2,500 people attend Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's national conference

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — More than 2,500 people will gather this week to discuss juvenile justice, delinquency prevention, and victimization at the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) conference, Children's Justice and Safety: Unite, Build, Lead, fromOctober 12-14, 2011, in National Harbor, Md.  

"This conference provides a snapshot of juvenile justice today," said Jeff Slowikowski, OJJDP Acting Administrator.  "During the next three days, we will present the latest research and evaluation findings, examine dominant and emerging issues in children's justice and safety, and develop a vision to meet the challenges that lie ahead."

The conference theme "Unite, Build, Lead" corresponds with the three days of the conference.  Day 1: Unite, focuses on bringing together the many fields of interest in juvenile justice, Day 2: Build, focuses on structuring effective programs for children and youth, and Day 3: Lead, features federal leaders addressing the future of juvenile justice. The conference's workshops will address an array of timely issues, including:

Anti-gang strategies Children's exposure to violence Disproportionate minority contact Emergency planning for juvenile facilities Girls on the margin Family and youth engagement Law enforcement partnerships	Mentoring Protecting and advocating for children Putting research into practice Substance abuse Tribal youth issues Truancy and dropping out Youth in custody

Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder, and General Raymond T. Odierno, Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army, will deliver remarks about the importance of mentoring the children of military families on Friday, October 14.  Other participating Justice Department officials include Deputy Attorney GeneralJames Cole, Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli, and Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson.

Conference speakers include: R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; Congressmen Chaka Fattah, Christopher S. Murphy, and Robert C. Scott; Elizabeth Smart, advocate and president of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation; Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; Joe Torre, Major League Baseball legend and Chairman of the Board for the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation; and the Rev. Gregory Boyle, Homeboy Industries.

OJJDP supports states and communities in their efforts to develop and implement effective and coordinated prevention and intervention programs and to improve the juvenile justice system so it protects public safety, holds offenders accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative services for juveniles and families.  For more information on OJJDP, visit: www.ojjdp.gov.  

The conference agenda is available at: http://www.ojjdp.gov/2011conference/2011ConferenceProgram.pdf.

OJP, headed by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at www.ojp.gov.

SOURCE Department of Justice

If you have an opinion about this please contact your local representatives and make your voice known.  How can our government represent us (the citizens) if they don't know what our opinions are!  Get involved, Stay informed and Interact – It's not only our right as Americans but our responsibility as citizens and parents!

from: Kid Safe

This Full Color Print Magazine is delivered to your mailbox and is packed full of articles, pictures, games, puzzles, stories about our readers and online members, and of course exclusive content from BYOU Be Your own You and Cymphonique!

Yes, it’s true! BYOU is launching it’s own magazine called Be Your Own You! In every issue, you’ll find exclusive interviews with today’s positive role models, empowering stories on girls making a difference in the world, powerful self-esteem tips & projects, BYOU-only features on our partner & pop star Cymphonique Miller, on-location photos, fun games & puzzles, fabulous fiction reading, contests, and lots more, including YOUR chance to be featured!!

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