Every seven minutes a child is bullied in America. One in seven students in grades K-12 is either behaving as a bully or is a victim of bullying. An estimated 160,000 children in the United States miss school every day due to the fear of being bullied at school, and 13 million children in the US have been a victim of bullying at some point in their lives.
These statistics, while startling, point to the need for intervention, prevention and ongoing communication involving children, parents, teachers and the community to tackle the issue of bullying in our schools.
This Sunday, February 3rd, area Jewish teens and their parents will address the issue of bullying at the upcoming event “Bully: The Movie – An Exclusive Screening and Workshop for Jewish Teens and Parents,” from 9a.m. – Noon, sponsored by JF&CS, the Agency for Jewish Learning and Rodef Shalom Congregation and made possible by the Lauren Webster Young Adult Initiative.
The event includes a screening of the movie “Bully” at the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill, as well as a discussion and workshop at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Squirrel Hill with teens and parents. Educators from the Agency for Jewish Learning and experts from JF&CS will review the movie and discuss bullying issues from the perspective of Jewish values. The event is free and open to parents and teens in grades 8-12. Please see the flyer below for additional details.
Constructive dialogue between parents and children can often help address and diffuse bullying incidents, but sometimes a professional is needed, either to aid in mediation, to help strategize communication and coping techniques or to help children deal with negative feelings related to being bullied. At Squirrel Hill Psychological Services, we are ready to help. If you or your child need counseling related to bullying or any other personal or school-related concerns, please call us at 412-521-3800 or visit www.squirrelhillpsych.org.
For more information or questions about “Bully: The Movie – An Exclusive Screening and Workshop for Jewish Teens and Parents” event, contact Beth R. Goldstein at bgoldstein@ajlpittsburgh.org or 412-521-1101. RSVPs are not required to attend.
