Avoiding the bully is best plan, says Red Cross
Friday June 14, 2002 Michelle Strutzenberger
Red Cross is saying the best response to a bully is to walk away from him, and talk to a trusted person. "We tried to impart a three-part plan of response to bullies, which is walk away, talk with a trusted person, and avoid the bully," says Melanie Flynn, community services co-ordinator with the Peterborough Red Cross.

About 1500 school children in the Peterborough area learned about these bully-response tactics from Melanie and Red Cross volunteers last year, through skits and discussions.

Many of the sessions ended with the elementary students telling their own personal experiences with bullying and how they had responded. "That was most important," says Melanie "To get them talking about their own lives and experiences, what they've done, and what they could do differently in the future."

The session on bullying is one of four Red Cross Kids Project sessions, all of which are designed to educate young people on racism, preventing abuse of the environment, and the global community. This past year they were all presented at schools in Peterborough by Melanie, along with volunteers Barb Mills and Jenna Mace, as well as student volunteers from Trent University and Sir Sandford Fleming College.

The Red Cross offers a wide range of programs around violence and abuse prevention for people of all ages.

For more information about the programs, contact Melanie at (705) 745-8222.

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