October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

By: Julie Hertzog, Director, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, and Sally Harris, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Oct. 2015

This month, across the world, from New York to New Zealand, thousands of schools, communities, organizations, and individuals will come together to release new resources, campaigns, and efforts aimed at raising awareness for bullying prevention. Nearly a decade old, Bullying Prevention Awareness month was initiated by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center  in October 2006. Since it began, the event has grown to an entire month of education and awareness activities, and is being recognized by schools and communities throughout the world. PACER recognized that students, parents, and people around the world need to become more aware of the serious consequences of bullying.

“National Bullying Prevention Month has grown more than we could have ever expected,” said Paula Goldberg, PACER’s executive director. “In less than 10 years, PACER has helped to create a bullying prevention movement with millions of individuals across the globe.”

PACER developed National Bullying Prevention Month to raise awareness and also to change the culture around bullying, which was historically considered a childhood rite of passage. “We know that bullying can lead to school avoidance, decreased self-esteem, depression, and even self-harm,” said Julie Hertzog, director of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. “Bullying intervention and prevention is something in which everyone can play an important role.”

This year Bullying Prevention Awareness month features many new initiatives:

• The You’re Not Alone campaign  provides resources and education on ways that communities can show they care and are united together against bullying. PACER has created classroom and event toolkits to help raise awareness and provide support for those who have been bullying.
• On Unity Day, Wednesday, Oct. 21, students, educators, families, TV personalities, and others will wear orange to make it end, hold events, and share stories, photos, and videos on social media. Thousands of people will wear the official 2015 Unity Day t-shirt and schools across the country will display the Unity Day poster  and hold events.
• PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center has created an array of innovative resources for students, educators, families, and communities, which are available on its three websites: PACER.org/bullying ,PACERTeensAgainstBullying.org , and PACERKidsAgainstBullying.org . Videos, classroom toolkits, free bookmarks and posters, and other tools can be used to prevent bullying all year long.

October is a great time to help raise awareness for this important issue, but we know you're working hard all year to do what you can to prevent bullying.  Share your story on Facebook  and Twitter  and tell us what you're doing to prevent bullying in your community.

• Join the conversation on the StopBullying.gov Facebook page