Bullying Prevention Training
Safer Tomorrows announces plans for bullying prevention training for educators
Lutheran Social Services of ND is a lead partner in the Safer Tomorrows collaborative in Grand Forks.
From the Grand Forks Herald:
By Brandi Jewett
GRAND FORKS, ND, JUNE 7 -- In an effort to take a more proactive approach to bullying in schools, Grand Forks’ Safer Tomorrows has announced plans to train area educators through a national program.The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program—along with a number of other initiatives—will be implemented in area schools this fall.
“We want to provide a safe and respectable environment for our students,” said Jody Thompson, assistant superintendent for Grand Forks Public Schools.
According to its website, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is designed for students in elementary, middle and junior high schools.
The program is not curriculum-based said Janell Regimbal, vice president of children and family services at Lutheran Social Services. Instead, it addresses bullying at four levels: school-wide, classroom, individual and community.
Thompson says the Olweus and other initiatives coordinated by Safer Tomorrows will complement some of the school system’s existing programs well.
Safer Tomorrows is a project that places its focus on the prevention of bullying and violence, said the Community Violence Intervention Center Executive Director Kristi Hall-Jiran. The usual approach to bullying in an “after the fact” response, but Safer Tomorrows works to give schools the training and resources they need to prevent and address present bullying issues Hall-Jiran said.
The project is coordinated by the city, CVIC, Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota and the Grand Forks Public School District with support from the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Department.
“We have 100 percent of our public and parochial schools [in Grand Forks County] involved with Safer Tomorrows,” Regimbal said.
The project was recently one of four granted a $2 million grant as part of the Department of Justice initiative, “Defending Childhood: Protect, Heal, Thrive.”
Bob Rost of the Grand Forks County Sheriff office said he believes this project is one of the biggest to come to Grand Forks. “Safer Tomorrows is a natural fit as we attempt to be more proactive than reactive,” when it comes to the issue of bullying he said.
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Lutheran Social Services of ND is a lead partner in Safer Tomorrows, a Grand Forks collaborative that has just announced a major bullying prevention project.
Grand Forks, ND – Safer Tomorrows will hold a news conference on Thursday, June 7 to unveil the new Safer Tomorrows logo and to highlight a bullying prevention training program for Grand Forks County educators.
Safer Tomorrows is sponsoring the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program training for Grand Forks County educators in preparation for classroom implementation when the 2012-2013 school year begins. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is designed to: (1) promote the reduction and prevention of bullying behavior and victimization problems; (2) decrease fighting and vandalism; (3) increase positive social climate; and (4) create better social relationships and attitudes toward school. The program intervenes within the child’s environment on many levels: children that bully or are being bullied, other students, teachers, families, the school as a whole, and the community. Committees at each school provide leadership to all teachers and adults in the school communities. Classroom meetings occur weekly during the school year.
Safer Tomorrows receives funding as part of a Department of Justice initiative, “Defending Childhood: Protect, Heal, Thrive” and is led by the City of Grand Forks, the Community Violence Intervention Center, Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, and the Grand Forks Public School District and with in-kind support from the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Department. The news conference will feature representatives from each agency.
The Safer Tomorrows project was 1 of 8 projects chosen from a pool of national applicants to receive initial funding and 1 of only 4 to receive full federal funding of $2 million. The selection of Safer Tomorrows for the “Defending Childhood: Protect, Heal, Thrive” initiative is recognition of the leadership and collaboration within our county community and exemplifies the commitment of our county to safety and to young people.
The news conference will be held at 12:15 p.m. in the Mark Sanford Education Center, 2400 47th Ave. S.
