GETTING A GRIP ON BULLYING

Bullying is real.

Bullying is very difficult for children (and all human beings for that matter), to deal with. People who are bullied experience a huge amount of negative emotions (i.e. fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, uncertain, guilt) which often leads to feelings of worthlessness. This impacts the life of a victim tremendously.

What is sad and sometimes overlooked, is that there are more than one affected party to these kinds of situations. Bullying affects the victim, the bully and the witness(es).

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS BULLYING?

Bullying is categorised in four different types of bullying:

• Physical bullying

• Verbal bullying

• Social bullying

• Cyber bullying

PHYSICAL BULLYING

Physical bullying is using one’s body and/or physical bodily acts to exert power over someone else. Punching, kicking and other physical attacks are all types of physical bullying. Unlike relational and verbal bullying, the effects of physical bullying can be easier to spot.

At our ACS Youth Building & Empowerment workshops, we highlight that this is called assault and assault is a crime.

*Informative read: Physical bullying.

VERBAL BULLYING

Verbal bullying is when an individual uses verbal language (e.g., insults, teasing, etc) to gain power over someone else. For example, when a child is not great at athletics or sport, he or she may be called a nerd. Unlike physical bullying, verbal bullying is harder to see and stop. It tends to occur when adults aren’t around to stop it. Verbal bullying can be very damaging and may have long term psychological effects on the victim.

This is where, at our workshops, we work hard to emphasise our motto of #YouAreGoodEnough #JyIsGoedGenoeg. Video clips are used to make every child understand that their worth is not defined by the opinions of others.

*Informative read: Verbal bullying.

SOCIAL BULLYING

Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone's reputation or relationships. Social bullying includes leaving someone out on purpose, telling other children not to be friends with someone or spreading rumours about someone.

This type of bullying is sneaky and might just be our biggest problem experienced on school grounds. Educators and parents often feel powerless – how do we force children to include others when they do not want to?

The facilitators at our ACS workshops encourage children to be heroes on and off the playgrounds. They wear our wristbands with pride and therefore are pioneers for ACS. They’ve got the obligation to stop social bullying whenever they witness it.

*Informative read: Social bullying.

CYBER BULLYING

Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyber bullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyber bullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

• Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter

• SMS

• Instant Message (via devices, email provider services, apps, and social media messaging features)

• Email

Handouts regarding Cyber bullying are available on request from ACS Youth Building & Empowerment.

*Informative read: Cyber bullying.

Thanks for taking the time to find out more about bullying!

Regards,

Matty-Lize Adams

PARTNER

Sources:

www.stopbullying.gov

www.antibullyingsoftware.com