A new program at a Windsor elementary school is helping students reduce bullying.
The peer-led program at H.J. Lassaline Elementary School in Forest Glade is called Bully Busters. It relies on senior students to identify bullying situations and meet as a group to come up with solutions to resolve them.
"It's a program run by the students, for the students," says Tanya Ciliberto, a child and youth worker at the school who oversees the program. "We're catching a lot more things than we ever did before."
One of the main components is the ‘bully box.’ The small box, mounted just outside the school's transition room, is where students can anonymously report bullying situations. The group meets regularly to review those situations and discuss solutions.
The students also do regular bullying presentations for the rest of the school. The presentation includes slides on what defines a bully, how bullies think, ways to deal with bullies, and how to forgive a bully.
Nov. 16-22 is Bullying Awareness and Prevention week in Ontario.
