G(irls) 20 Summit
Nov 9, 2011
In October, 2011, the second-annual G(irls) 20 Summit to address women’'s issues was held in Paris, France.
The G(irls)20 Summit brings together one delegate from each G20 country, plus a representative from the chair country of the African Union. The delegates debate, discuss and design innovative ideas necessary to empower girls and women globally. While the agenda is the same as the G20 leaders and focuses on economic innovation, the participants are all girls, aged 18-20.
Check out some of the photos from the summit:
http://www.girlsandwomen.com/photo_gallery-55.html
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Note from Lorna Blumen
Sept 16, 2011
September Greetings!
I'm delighted to introduce my new book on children's bullying, Bullying Epidemic: Not Just Child's Play. It's a no-excuses look at the escalating problem of kids' bullying, the unconscious but dangerous enabling role played by well-meaning adults, and what adults and kids can do about it - starting today. Drawn from real-life stories in the news and my own work and family life, Bullying Epidemic provides commonsense strategies for searching out and vastly reducing children's and adult bullying. It is practical, action-oriented, and results-focused. It's not about having the right program. It's about making the commitment to identify the building blocks of bullying in our homes, schools, and communities, and intervene while it's early, and easy, to stop bullying in its tracks.
The longer I've worked in bullying prevention, the more I understand that underneath all bullying is lack of respect - for self and others. That's why the work of Girls' Respect Groups and similar programs is so crucial. Keeping kids stabilized in respect goes a long way towards smoothing their way through the middle and high school social dramas and significantly reduces bullying. Kids grounded in respect for self and others are far less likely to bully others, less likely to chase after friendships with bullies, and won't stand by to watch others being bullied.
None of us can do this work, reducing bullying, alone. It is truly "it take a village" work, enlisting our friends and communities to help re-establish safe, respectful environments for our kids, where kids have enough breathing space to grow and flourish as individuals.
Lorna Blumen
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Bullying Epidemic: Not Just Child's Play
Sept 3, 2011
The latest book from Lorna Blumen, co-creator of Girls' Respect Groups, is now available!
Bullying Epidemic: Not Just Child's Play is a powerful book on children's bullying and the corrosive, enabling role adults inadvertently play. Why is bullying still a growing crisis, after a decade of bullying prevention programs? Bullying Epidemic looks clearly at the self-serving excuses adults make for failing to step in and stop bullying, and the tremendous human cost of looking away while our kids are suffering.
Caught early, bullying is easily stopped. Unchallenged, bullying becomes impossibly complex, with no rewind button, leaving permanent emotional scars and, too frequently, costing children their lives. No law can provide consolation or damage repair for parents who've lost children to suicide. All of us are damaged by the roles we play - bully, target, and, most frequently, bystander.
Adults must reclaim our roles as leaders to children, clean up the bullying in adult workplaces, in personal lives, and on TV, and unwaveringly insist that kids do the same. Kids should know that every day is bullying prevention day - not just when cameras are rolling or the bullying prevention expert is in the school. Bullying Epidemic offers a commonsense action plan for all adults determined to turn the tide of children's bullying.
For more information visit www.CamberleyPress.com or www.LornaBlumen.com.
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Respect: Crucial Foundation for Girls (& Boys)
On July 5, 2011, Lorna Blumen will be presenting a workshop to the Toronto District School Board on girls' respect. Respect drives all our important life decisions - how we approach school, work, friendships and romance. Girls' self-respect is under attack from all sides today - mean girl frienemies, unattainable media images, disrespect from adults - what's a kid to do?
Respect helps kids ride out the difficult preteen and teen years with resilience. Kids grounded in respect won't bully others, make less vunerable targets, won't seek out bullies as friends and won't stand by when others are bullied.
What are your ideas on what can be done to keep girls, and the boys around them, grounded in respect?
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Lyric Elliot - Bullying Versus Respect
For over a year, Lyric Elliot, 8, had been pushed around and beaten up by classmates. Unable to solve the problem despite contacting the school and school board over 100 times, Lyrics mother finally removed her from the school and called the media to publicize the story. School Board Superintendant Kerry-Lynn Stadnyk feels that Lyric & her mother are exaggerating the situation, but she had not yet spoken to the family directly.
How can we identify and act on these problems in the early stages? What are some of the obstacles? How is respect related to bullying? How do parents and schools work together more successfully on these issues? Can more emphasis and work on respect, for self and others, prevent these problems? What else might help?
We want to hear from you!
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2010/05/06/13842241.html
