History of National Bullying Prevention Month

As we get ready to kick off National Bullying Prevention Month this October, we wanted to share more about how this campaign first got started. On this week’s episode of PACERTalks About Bullying, we are sharing the history of National Bullying Prevention Month and it’s evolution since it was first founded by PACER in 2006.

Transcript

>> Hey there. Welcome back to PACER Talks About Bullying. I'm Bailey. We're glad you're here.

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National Bullying Prevention Month is kicking off October first. So, for this week's episode of PACER Talks about Bullying, we thought we would share with you a little bit more about the history of National Bullying Prevention Month and how it got started, right here at PACER. With that being said, let's get into the episode.

National Bullying Prevention Month was founded in 2006 by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. This campaign is held in October, and is a time for communities nationwide to educate and raise awareness about bullying prevention. Initially, this started as a week-long campaign, but the event grew in 2010 to a month-long effort. When PACER first started this initial campaign, the goal was to raise awareness and start conversations at a community level about an issue that still impacts more than one in five students. For so long, bullying had been viewed as a childhood rite of passage. But the reality has always been that bullying leaves devastating effects that can last a lifetime.

Momentum grew as PACER continued to provide schools, parents, and students with the resources and support to better respond to bullying behavior. This campaign grew from a week to a month, as communities continued to want to be involved and to do their part in helping to create a world without bullying. Along with empowering communities, this campaign has helped create a societal shift so bullying is no longer viewed as a part of growing up.

So, today, what started at PACER more than a decade ago, as a week-long effort, has now turned into a worldwide campaign, celebrated by thousands of schools, communities, and businesses who know that we all have a role to play in bullying prevention. This is the time where we can all get involved, because what we know is that when we work together, our impact can be so much greater. And that's a wrap on this week's episode of PACER Talks about Bullying.

We hope you learned a little bit more about the history of National Bullying Prevention Month and that you're inspired to get involved in your own community. If you want resources, check out our website, pacer.org/bullying. We'll see you right back here next week. And remember, together, we can create a world without bullying. See you.

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