By Ben Cox
The Cyberbullying Research Center reports that 1 in 3 young people report being bullied online in some way.
A study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that teens who experience bullying online are 2 to 9 times more likely to have negative health outcomes, including depression and anxiety. Cyberbullying is most common among young people ages 12-15.
Midwest Youth Services and the Jacksonville Area Project Board, a collaborative group made up of Morgan County youth-serving organizations and community stakeholders identified cyberbullying as a major epidemic in the community.
Through hours of work, the organization put together the #BeKindOnline campaign to empower youth to make safe, responsible choices online and foster an environment of kindness in their digital and real-world interactions.
Midwest Youth Services’ team then brought the message to the middle schools in their 8-county wide service territory. The MYS staff was able to visit with middle school students at Schuyler-Industry Middle School, Winchester Elementary School, Franklin Jr/Sr High School, Garrison, Crossroads Learning Center, Jacksonville Middle School, Illinois School for the Deaf and Waverly Junior High School.
These schools completed activities with MYS Staff such as pledge walls and kindness chains, and/or they attended The Beautiful Tomorrow Assembly, which helped to conclude the month-long campaign on April 24.
Beautiful Tomorrow is an East Coast-based organization that uses the power of music and peer-to-peer encouragement to touch on social and emotional learning, college readiness and anti-bullying among other topics. Hip-hop artist Jason Lewis (a.k.a. Humble Tip), his tiger pal D.R.I.P. and his crew took to the stage at JMS and brought a motivational program full of music, dance and powerful messages. Lewis, a Liberty University graduate who received a Bachelor of Science in public health-health promotion and a Master of Arts in human services counseling with a concentration in health and wellness, travels the country helping young people with all-around wellness. The name of the event comes from the idea that all young people, “regardless of their background, environment, dreams, goals, and desires, [youth] can have what we call a ‘Beautiful Tomorrow’ by saying ‘no’ to drugs, by not being violent, by continually studying and doing well in school, by having a plan, understanding the value of each individual, and knowing that their worth is not dictated by other peoples’ opinions.”
Midwest Youth Services Community Youth Services Coordinator Audra Pilarte says that the after effects of the campaign are being felt: “We have been approached by many school personnel following our in-person activities at local schools, thanking us for coming in and talking to their students. Having that outside person come in and talk about bullying, peer-to-peer encouragement and how one single act of kindness can positively affect someone, is showing to help.”
Pilarte says that having outside voices besides a student’s parents and regular teachers to reinforce the message of positive interaction helps students find the support they need when they are experiencing bullying or other mental health crises.
Pilarte says there are no plans to make this an annual program but continued by
noting ongoing support and programs are in the works: “The conversations around this have begun. The Area Project Board feels this issue will always need to be addressed as kids grow and a new set of youth begin building their online presence. We’ve had conversations around how we can continue this work, engage more community leaders, and develop a ‘Phase Two,’ so to speak, or at least offer additional resources to parents and students.”
Pilarte encourages everyone to continue their pledges of kindness, wear their shirts and wristbands to spread the word that this message isn’t just for one month but should be done all of the time.
For more information, visit stopbullying.gov. Or, if someone is experiencing a mental health crisis due to cyberbullying or bullying, they may call 988. If you are a witness to cyberbullying on an online platform, contact that platform’s help desk and report the profile’s behavior.
