October is National Prevent Bullying Month

October has long been associated with fall, pumpkins, and changing leaves. It also happens to be Bully Prevention month, and here at Morgan & Morgan we stand against bullies and advocate for those who can’t. You can help us take a stand and raise awareness to stop bullying.

In The USA, according to PACER:

• Nearly 1 in 3 students report being bullied during the school year (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2013).

• 6% of high school students in the US report being bullied at school in the past year. 14.8% reported being bullied online (Center for Disease Control, 2014).

• 64 percent of children who were bullied did not report it; only 36 percent reported the bullying.

• More than half of bullying situations (57 percent) stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied.

• School-based bullying prevention programs decrease bullying by up to 25%.

• The reasons for being bullied reported most often by students were looks (55%), body shape (37%), and race (16%).

Ways you can help raise awareness:

Wear blue - Wear a blue headband, a blue shirt, blue socks, or a blue ribbon throughout the month of October.

Pay it forward – give a compliment to a stranger, buy the person behind you a coffee at the coffee shop, donate your time to a shelter.

Stand up for someone – If you see someone in distress, stand up for them. If someone is upset, lend an ear or a shoulder.

Appreciate people for how they are – In the great words of Kurt Cobain, “come as you are.” If everyone would be just a little more accepting, the world would be a more peaceful place.