Shifting Focus on Bullying Behavior: A Wholistic Approach

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

Brightways Learning

First Presenter’s Email Address

dpavish@brightwayslearning.org

First Presenter's Brief Biography

David Pavish is the Resiliency Director at Brightways Learning, an educational non-profit organization dedicated to empowering students and educators. With two decades of experience working with students in diverse educational settings, David has garnered a wealth of knowledge and expertise in fostering resilience and personal growth among young minds. David has cultivated his skills under the mentorship of renowned youth and experiential education professionals. This unique background has equipped him with an in-depth understanding of the factors contributing to student success. David spearheads resilience-building events for youth, provides transformative educator training sessions, and actively engages in state and national education conferences, sharing his insights and fostering a culture of resilience within the educational landscape. David's approach to supporting and guiding students is deeply rooted in a holistic perspective, recognizing that resilience is not a destination but rather a continuous journey of self-discovery and growth. He empowers students to navigate challenges, embrace setbacks, and emerge stronger, more resilient individuals, ready to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Location

Session Two

Strand #1

Hands: Safety & Violence Prevention

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

Safety and violence are increasing concerns in schools and communities. Bullying behavior is often only addressed in a punitive way - focusing only on the bully. Helping students and adults understand bullying behavior from a broader perspective will meet the needs of more people involved in bullying incidents.

Brief Program Description

Bullying prevention methods often focus on symptoms rather than root causes. To effectively prevent bullying, we need to support all students' social-emotional and mental health, including those who bully. In this session, we will examine all sides of bullying situations. We will interactively explore why young people show bullying behavior and learn researched strategies to better address students' individual needs and create peaceful, safe environments.

Summary

Have you ever been asked to stop a bully from bullying? The labels of "bully" and "bullying" are loaded words in our society, and it can be messy and ineffective to simply try to stop bullying behavior without understanding what is causing it.

Caring and connected relationships are vital to developing socially strong individuals. In addition to supporting the needs of the bullied student and empowering peers to “stand up” to bullying behavior, we must also look at the needs of the young person doing the bullying. Research shows that bullying behavior may stem from various reasons, such as stress, trauma, loneliness, low sense of belonging, lack of control, self-esteem issues, and the need for social dominance. Developing caring relationships with bullies is not generally the accepted solution in most school environments, but it is essential for understanding and addressing the root causes of bullying behavior.

In this session, we will take a mindful pause to examine all sides of bullying situations. We will interactively explore why young people show bullying behavior and learn researched strategies to better address all students' individual needs in order to create peaceful, safe environments.

Learning Objective 1

Participants will understand how to create a safe space for real conversations with both the young person being bullied and the one doing the bullying.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to ask questions without labeling our students, especially to stop the perpetuation of the "bully" label on youth by others and by themselves.

Learning Objective 3

Participants will learn how to develop and use a holistic lens, based on inquiry, in order to navigate difficult situations more clearly.

Keyword Descriptors

bullying prevention, inquiry-based, research, labels, conversations, school safety, school climate

Presentation Year

2024

Start Date

3-4-2024 11:30 AM

End Date

3-4-2024 1:00 PM

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Mar 4th, 11:30 AM Mar 4th, 1:00 PM

Shifting Focus on Bullying Behavior: A Wholistic Approach

Session Two

Bullying prevention methods often focus on symptoms rather than root causes. To effectively prevent bullying, we need to support all students' social-emotional and mental health, including those who bully. In this session, we will examine all sides of bullying situations. We will interactively explore why young people show bullying behavior and learn researched strategies to better address students' individual needs and create peaceful, safe environments.