It Takes a Network to
Create
a Country
Without Bullying
Debra Pepler
Scientific Co-Director, PREVNet
York University & HSC
www.prevnet.ca
Bullying Prevention and
Intervention:
Lessons Learned through
PREVNet
PREVNet
Promoting Relationships and
Eliminating Violence
The most effective way to Eliminate Violence is
by Promoting Positive Relationships
Prevention is Key
Objectives
• What do people need to understand
about bullying?
• Who needs to understand bullying and
the needs of youth involved in bullying?
• How can we reach all those who need
to understand and change their
behaviour?
Canada’s Strategy for
Social and Economic Change
Networks of Centres of Excellence
• Canada’s largest funding mechanism
• Supports partnerships to share expertise between
university researchers and organizations doing the
practical work
How Do You Begin to
Change a Country?
• Concern is bullying and interpersonal
violence
• Developmental perspective: lifespan issue
• Expertise among researchers
• Expertise among youth serving
organizations
PREVNet
Promoting Relationships and
Eliminating Violence Network
New Initiative phase:
• To prevent and stop bullying in Canada
• To promote healthy relationships and healthy
development for all children and youth.
PREVNet Vision
Stop bullying in Canada
Create a social-cultural change in Canada about the
use of power and aggression in relationships
PREVNet Objective
Promote safe and healthy relationships for
Canadian children and youth
PREVNet Strategy
Create an active network of top Canadian
researchers, national organizations, and levels of
government
© Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network, 2007
What is PREVNet?
• Focused on bullying research and the
development of practice to “create a world without
bullying”
• A network of 55 researchers from 25 universities
across Canada, and 45 national organizations that
work with children and youth, industry, and federal,
provincial and territorial governments
• PREVNet has the capacity to reach every child
and youth in Canada.
Why Promoting Relationships and
Eliminating Violence?
Healthy development depends on healthy relationships.
• Developing the capacity for healthy relationships is
essential.
• Relationship problems affect children’s development and
have a long-term impact on families, communities, and
society.
• Relationship problems can transfer to the next generation.
• Knowledge of the processes that shape development is
crucial for prevention and intervention to promote healthy
development, as well as human and social capital
outcomes.
What do people need to
understand about bullying?
What do people need to
understand about bullying?
•Individual children’s risks for bullying
problems and dynamics in various systems
•Identify and measure bullying and
relationships
•Strategies to address bullying problems
and promote relationships effectively
•How to develop policies to promote
healthy relationships and reduce likelihood
of bullying
Four Strategy Pillars for Change
Education and Training
Assessment and Evaluation
Prevention and Intervention
Policy and Advocacy
Who needs to understand
bullying and the needs of youth
involved in bullying?
Who needs to understand?
Bullying is not just a school problem –
Bullying occurs in all of the places where
children live, learn, play and work.
Knowledge and strategies are required at
every kitchen table, in every classroom, in
every sport and recreation setting, and in
the community.
CCRC
CCCO
17
How can we reach all those who
need to understand and change
their behaviour?
How Can We Reach Out
and Bridge Research and Practice
Traditional methods have not been effective.
New partnerships and catalysts for change
Working groups on key areas
new groups: aboriginal, workplace
New methods: opera, gaming,
Four Strategy Pillars for Change
Education and Training
Assessment and Evaluation
Prevention and Intervention
Policy and Advocacy
Education and Training
Website www.prevnet.ca
Education materials tailored for 18 NGOs:
• Concerned Children’s Advertisers PSA
– PSAs reached 94% of children aged 2-11
• Kids Help Phone Counsellors
• Family Channel
• Canadian Association of Principals (14,000)
• Opera on bullying – Elijah’s Kite
• Annual conferences and international consultations
Partnership with
Girl Guides
• Leaders needed to understand girls’
development and bullying and learn how to
promote healthy relationships.
• Developed a training module, participant
handout, and parent brochure
• 22,000 Girl Guide Leaders
• 85,000 Guides and parents
• Developed a badge “Girls United”
Informed Guiders can:
• Make Girl Guides a safe & supportive
environment
• Identify & prevent bullying
• Use effective strategies to stop bullying
• Support ALL who are involved
• Help girls develop positive social
relationships
“Girls don’t have to be friends with
everyone, but it is not OK to be hurtful
or harmful to anyone!”
Assessment and Evaluation
Web-based Assessment Tool for:
Children in grades K-3 and 4-6
Youth in grades 7-12
Teachers, leaders, administrators, parents
Adapted for diverse partners to assess and evaluate:
• Red Cross RespectED violence prevention programs
• Respect in Sport (training for all coaches in Canada)
• Boys and Girls’ Clubs
• National Ballet School
• SAMHSA
Prevention and Intervention
• Developed tip sheets for: teachers, leaders, parents,
youth, children (available on www.prevnet.ca)
• Partnerships for program development (e.g., Respect
in Workplace)
• PREVNet seal of approval
• Partnerships with electronic gaming companies
• Manuals to accompany programs (opera, games)
Grades 2-5
www.PractiQuest.com
A library of computer
simulations to prevent
bullying and improve school
climate
Computers help prevent bullying and
improve school climate
•Try new behaviours
www.PractiQuest.com
•Explore consequences in safety
•An interactive medium children love!
(even play after school!)
Students learn
impulse control, self
respect and respect
for others
www.PractiQuest.com
Includes:
•5 computer modules
•Discussion guides
•On-curriculum
extensions
•Self directed student
activities
•Family activities/letters
home
•Automated reporting
•Std’zed Test Boosters
Evidence of
Effectiveness
www.PractiQuest.com
•Over 80% of the students reported that that
liked the stories, graphics and found the
game fun.
•Students knew more prosocial and effective
strategies to prevent or manage bullying
situations and had more positive attitudes
after playing only one of these games.
•These games are effective for both
mainstream students as well as those with
special needs.
….
EVALUATION IS
ONGOING
Policy and Advocacy
Policy foundation
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Partnerships and consultations to address policies and
practice with:
• Canadian Council on Children’s Rights
• UNICEF Canada
• Senate Committee on Human Rights
Recent Senate Report on Children’s Rights called for a
national strategy on bullying:
PREVNet is the national strategy
What Can PREVNet Do to Improve
Practice?
Enhance training of professionals who work with children and
youth, as well as with their families.
• Provide scientific knowledge to promote understanding and
effective strategies to prevent and respond to bullying
• Evaluate practices with the web-based tools
• Promote and support sustainability of programs
PREVNet
Creating a World without Bullying
Through partnerships within and beyond Canada, we can:
• Increase the well-being, healthy relationships, respect,
social cohesion, social responsibility, and citizenship in our
children and youth.
• Provide a strong empirical and globally relevant model to
promote safe and healthy relationships for all children and
youth.
Thank you for
Supporting Youth By
Bridging Research and Practice
www.prevnet.ca