| Philadelphia Physicians for Social
Responsibility (PSR), in collaboration with the School District of Philadelphia’s
Office of School Climate and Safety, has implemented the Olweus Bullying
Prevention Program (OBPP) in over 40 K-8 public schools. PSR has
received certification to train school staff in the OBPP model. For
more information on the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, visit www.clemson.edu/olweus. |
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Overview
The OBPP is a school-wide violence
prevention program designed to create a school climate characterized by
warmth, positive interest and involvement from adults, and zero tolerance
for bullying behavior. The OBPP has as its main goals; to reduce
existing bully/victim problems, to prevent the development of new bully/victims
problems, and to improve the overall school climate. PSR offers training
for all school staff with a comprehensive examination of bullying behavior
and appropriate means of intervening. Efforts to reduce opportunities
and rewards for bullying behavior are focused on increasing awareness,
developing clear and consistent rules and policies against bullying behavior,
and supporting improved peer relations. PSR strongly believes that
in order to make the OBPP effective in urban schools, it must be made culturally
relevant to the schools and the environment in which it is implemented.
To this end, implementation strategies have been tailored to meet the diverse
needs of the Philadelphia public schools. |
The OBPP has been selected as one
of the Blueprints for Violence Prevention by the Center for the Study and
Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
More information can be found at: www.colorado.edu/cspv.
Additionally, the BPP was noted as a “promising program” for risk prevention
by the Department of Health and Human Services in the most recent Surgeon
General’s report on youth violence (2001). To view the full report
visit: www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence.
For additional information, news,
program and downloads
please visit our Philadelphia
Bullying Prevention Program Website:
www.PhilaBullyingPrevention.org
Adult Bullying Prevention
Adult bullying is most often defined
as the aggressive behavior resulting from the deliberate intent to cause
physical or psychological distress to others; physical or psychological
violence (including any act or words that psychologically hurts or isolates
a person); or a systematic abuse of power. In schools, adult bullying
may occur in many ways; administrator on staff, staff on staff, staff on
students, staff on parents, and parents on staff. Using creative
techniques and teambuilding exercises, the Adult Bullying Prevention Training
helps staff define workplace bullying, discusses the causes and effects
of bullying among adults, and gives strategies to preventing and intervening
in adult bullying situations. The Adult Bullying Prevention Training
strives to build the capacity for a fundamental change to take place within
the adult community of the school. By addressing adult bullying in
schools, it is desired that school environment becomes one that offers
both staff and students the benefits of respectful, non-violent communication
thus creating an environment that is conducive to teaching and learning. |
