Helping Children Fight Bullying
8 Empowering Middle Grade Novels for Kids Interested in Social Justice
by Melissa Sarnon, Barnes & Noble
As the United States watches a new administration take over the White House after a contentious election year, a wave of social and political activism has swept the country. For generations, young people all over the world have taken an interest in social justice and found the courage to fight for their own rights and the rights of others. Here are eight inspiring middle grade books that prove you’re never too young to stand up for what you believe in and make a difference.
Want Your Kids to Be Strong Leaders? Teach Them This About Bullying Immediately
Leadership qualities aren’t always innate; often they’re learned. And taught.
By Melanie Curtin, Writer, activist
Close to one in three students report being bullied during the school year, and it happens just as often at summer camp, summer parties, and in summer school. Research also suggests that up to 64 percent of children don’t report it, which means the real number could be even higher.
This is a problem.
The CDC lists potential negative outcomes of bullying as “depression, anxiety, involvement in interpersonal violence or sexual violence, substance abuse, poor social functioning, and poor school performance, including lower GPAs, standardized test scores, and poor attendance.”
Bullying can also lead to suicide.
Bullying survivors and their moms speak out
by Lex Talamo, Shreveport Times
Shreveport mother Andrea Fegley almost lost her daughter Melanie to suicide in January of last year, when the teen tried to take her own life after being repeatedly and viciously bullied at school, and online, for more than two years.
“It got to the point of trying to end it the only way she knew how,” Fegley said. “Unfortunately, not much was done until then. Everybody from aggressor to schools to law enforcement need better education on bullying.”
Fegley and her daughter are not alone in facing what legislators and members of the public are calling “an epidemic.”
