The problem

The Lewis County Extension Service conducted a program on Bullying at the Lewis County Middle School with 7^th and 8th grade students. The program is done each year but was started because the principal and guidance counselor requested it and continue to want the program taught each year.  They want the program to continue because bullying is a consistent problem at the school. Another reason is because of a teen suicide that happened in another county close to Lewis County years ago due to bullying. 

The educational program response

The 4-H agent conducted 2 lessons with 264 students, teaching them what bullying is, what to do if they are bullied and what to do if they witness bullying. The material used came from “The Bully Free Classroom.”  A video titled “Silent On The Sidelines: Why We Ignore Bullying” and team building activities were also used with participants as part of the lessons.

The participants/target audience- 7th and 8th grade students

Other partners (if applicable)

Program impact or participant response.

A survey was conducted after the lessons to measure the effectiveness of the program. Of the students that participated in the program 196 responded to the surveyed. Of the students surveyed 186(95%) said they learned the meaning of bullying, 187 (95%) said they learned at least one way to stop a bully, and 179(91%) said they planned to implement what they learned about stopping a bully by telling a teacher, telling the bully stop, or by letting the bully know that they do not approve of their behavior.