This week from January 23-27 is No Name Calling Week- a week to promote youth anti-bullying. Today’s guest post is written by Betsy Flikkema, Associate Director of Curriculum at generationOn, who highlights the importance of taking action to end bullying. She is an educator, curriculum specialist, and mother of two children.

Imagine wrinkling up a piece of paper and then trying to smooth it out. No matter how determinedly you try to iron out the wrinkles, the paper retains evidence of its abuse. I was the victim of bullying when I was in seventh grade. I can still remember the words used and how much I believed them. Although I knew better than to let this happen, those words imprinted into the image I had of myself. In times of stress, I start believing those messages again. Words can hurt, and once they are expressed, they can be amended but they cannot be retracted. Wouldn’t it be great to have the power to stop those unkind words and actions before they imprint their evidence in kids’ hearts?

Bullying doesn’t just affect the victim. We are all connected, and when one person is victimized, the integrity of the whole community suffers. In a 2010 bullying report, we learn that 50 percent of students witness bullying at school, and one out of ten students drops out or changes schools because of repeated bullying.  Between 4^th and 8^th grade, 90 percent of children report being victims of some form of bullying.

As a part of a civil society, everyone has a responsibility to do something about it. At generationOn we provide tools that empower youth to take action to make their mark on the world. This week, we are featuring No Name-Calling Week (January 23-27) and encouraging youth to take action to stop bullying.

Here are some actions generationOn Schools and youth have taken to put an end to bullying:

• One elementary classroom wrote a no-bully pledge. They all signed it and then shared their plan with other classrooms who also wrote and signed pledges. Soon the whole school was committed.
• In an after-school program, youth made posters with hints for how to respond to bullying and then hung the posters around the building to teach others the strategies they had learned.
• A middle school classroom wrote skits about bullying and ways to respond positively. They performed their skits for the elementary schools in their district.

GenerationOn has project ideas, reading lists, teacher lesson plans, and more to empower youth to take action to bring an end to bullying. Here youth, families, and teachers find ideas to stop the tyranny of bullying through kindness campaigns and specific strategies for victims, bullies, and bystanders.

When young people design and carry out a campaign, the effect is magnified. Not only do they directly impact the issue with their targeted efforts, they are personally transformed by the experience of making a difference.

This week, please start a conversation with the youth in your life. Read a book together or look up some facts and ask, “Does every child deserve to be bully free?”