Blog ArchivesAug 26 2011Rick Phillips Speaks On Bullying at the Clinton School of Public ServiceThe Clinton School of Public Service invited Rick Phillips, Executive Director of Community Matters as one of their Distinguished Speakers for their series of public lectures in Little Rock, Arkansas. May 31 2011Safe School Ambassadors school nationally recognized for its tolerance effortsMesa Linda Middle School in Victorville, CA was recognized as a “Mix It Up” Model School by the Teaching Tolerance Project. Apr 27 2011Straight Talk TNT - Teens ‘n Twenties Publishes Article Praising Safe School Ambassadors ProgramLauren Forcella, founder and editor of the website Straight Talk TNT: Teens ‘n Twenties, has written and published an article on her site praising the effectiveness of the Safe School Ambassadors program. Apr 11 2011Rick Phillips - Keynote Speaker at the National School Board Association ConferenceRick Phillips presented a two-hour keynote at the National School Board Association’s 71st Annual Conference on Saturday, April 8, held at the San Francisco Moscone Convention Center. Apr 07 2011SSA program Evaluation Report shows positive resultsA multi-year evaluation of the Safe School Ambassadors (SSA) program has been completed, with some very exciting and gratifying results. WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT BULLYING!On Thursday, March 10, President Barack Obama and Mrs. Obama hosted in the White House East Room, “White House Summit on Bullying”. Mar 09 2011Dateline NBC “My Kid Would Never Bully”Dateline NBC “My Kid Would Never Bully” Feb 17 2011Community Matters posts two actions on MTV’s “Draw Your Line”Community Matters takes a stand against cyberbullying and bullying by posting two actions on MTV’s “Draw Your Line” Jan 21 2011Rick Phillips visits Capitol HillRick Phillips will speak in front of Congressional Officials on Friday, January 21 in Washington, D.C. Dec 23 2010Defying Gravity - Bullying Is WickedDefy Gravity and choose to be a peacemaker—stand up to bullies as a Safe School Ambassador! Dec 09 2010Bullies Go DigitalInternet serves as a powerful tool for educators and social networking sites like Facebook—allowing people to form connections all across the globe. Nov 30 2010Students Learn How To Stop BullyingEducation Now published a blog about Community Matters’ Safe School Ambassadors program at Summit Intermediate School in Southern California. Nov 12 2010ABC 7 aired a 2-minute clip on Safe School Ambassadors titled, “Students take on bullying”.ABC 7 aired a 2-minute clip on the Safe School Ambassadors program titled, “Students take on bullying”. Nov 09 2010Rick Phillips, Keynote SpeakerRick Phillips, Keynote Speaker at the “Empowering Schools, Communities and Families to Stop Bullying” Conference held on June 8, 2010 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Oct 15 2010Community Matters spearheads national anti-bullying efforts“Community Matters spearheads national anti-bullying efforts” by America’s Promise Alliance Oct 07 2010Six youth lost their lives due to cyber-bullying, bullying and hate crimesSix youth lost their lives—amongst many others—due to cyber-bullying, bullying and hate crimes: Asher Brown (age 13), Seth Walsh (age 13), Justin Aaberg (age 15), Billy Lucas (age 15), Tyler Clementi (age 18), Raymond Chase (age 19). Sep 28 2010Two Safe School Ambassadors in the news!Two of Community Matters’ Safe School Ambassadors (Manny and DeMonte) were flown to NYC to be interviewed and filmed for a Nick News (Nickelodeon) episode. Please mark your calendars for 9:00 pm on Sunday, October 3, 2010. Sep 23 2010 Dad’s Schoolbus Outburst Causes DebateJames Jones boarding of a school bus in Florida last week to confront his daughter’s bullies has people divided over the appropriateness of his outburst. Sep 14 2010Back to School: A Nation Needing to Find its ConscienceAs school has begun for millions of K-12 students across the country, far too many children will be attending schools where the physical and social-emotional climate will be different and potentially less safe. Sep 07 2010The Financial Costs of Bullying, Violence, and VandalismCommunity Matters has developed an auditing tool, called the School Climate Loss and Cost Calculator, to help administrators more accurately identify the cost of behaviors associated with a negative school climate. Sep 02 2010Hot news from the White HouseArne Duncan’s Opening Remarks at the 1st Annual Bullying Summit held in August 2010: “The Myths About Bullying: Secretary Arne Duncan’s Remarks at the Bullying Prevention Summit.” Jul 21 2010Fifth Grader Takes Action Against BullyingZiainey Stokes, a young student from West Philadelphia certainly provides timely evidence that schools are in critical need of programs such as Safe School Ambassadors to prevent violence and bullying in schools. Jun 15 2010CM Executive Director Delivers Keynote Address at Bullying Prevention Conference in BostonAs the Keynote Speaker, Community Matters Executive Director, Rick Phillips, shared with the audience that building a safer school climate is a complex process that requires a balance between attending to security as well as relationships. May 24 2010The Cost and Benefits of Caring in Spite of Bullying and Violent TraumaWhen schools tap into the power of the students and take time to show that they care, especially students affected by trauma, students become empowered. May 17 2010Bullying, Stress and Health: A Crisis in the MakingHere are some facts we have collected (and there are hundreds more) about the short- and long-term health effects of bullying: May 10 2010Chicago Public Schools: Violence and Death or Peacemakers Prevail?Like many urban areas, Chicago faces many challenges. The turf wars in various neighborhoods, the gang activity among youth, and the lack of resources for safe schools has compounded the obstacles facing school administrators and teachers. May 03 2010Cancel Out the Effects of “Mean Girls” with SupportThe media response to the suicide of Phoebe Prince raised the likely questions: How could this have happened? Why didn’t anyone do anything to stop it? Who is to blame? How can this be prevented from happening again? In search of answers, many of us reflect back on our own memories of the “mean girls” in school. Many of us have our own stories, as I do. Apr 26 2010Bullying will Not be ToleratedWhen I joined SSA, the leaders of the program told us, “This is your school, and bullying is something that will not be tolerated. We can give you the tools to help the problem, but you are going to have to put those tools to good use.” Apr 19 2010Cyberbullying: Digital BullyingIn 1981, when Bell Systems/AT&T created the tagline, “reach out and touch someone,” they probably had no idea that the cell phone would become an instrument that in the hands of bullies could reach out and hurt someone. Apr 07 2010Being RFP Ready for Bullying Prevention FundingApplying for U.S. Department of Education funding by developing winning projects and proposals is a more challenging task in 2010 than before. Each school or LEA needs to develop a team of community partners and learn how to be ready quickly for violence-prevention RFPs. That’s the only way to develop the best projects and proposals for current and upcoming federal Dept. of Education funding and many state and private funding sources for 2010-11 and beyond. Apr 06 2010Schools Face Lawsuits & Liability for BullyingMany parents turn to the schools to resolve the conflicts or at least implement safeguards to minimize or prevent the bullying. For the most part, schools want to intervene effectively, but often are reluctant or not sure how to create safe school environments. Mar 22 2010Examples of Young People Doing Amazing ThingsSo often in the news we hear the negative – the violence, who was arrested, who injured whom. But simultaneously good things are happening, many times because of Safe School Ambassadors®. Safe School Ambassadors are doing amazing things each and every day all around the country, inspiring themselves to be better people, leading by example, and helping their peers to make better decisions. Mar 11 2010“Sharp Drop” In Bullying: Some Good News . . and So Much More To DoA recent study has found that the percentage of children who reported being physically bullied over the past year had declined significantly. However, the conclusions from this study do not represent a complete picture. Our nation’s children are still being mistreated, and in ways that are sometimes more hurtful and dangerous than physical bullying and intimidation. Mar 03 2010Safe School Ambassadors Improve School ClimateAmidst a climate of increasing violence, bullying, and mistreatment in our schools, there is hope. And there is action! Safe School Ambassadors are out on the front lines, effectively helping to prevent and reduce incidents of mistreatment in over 800 schools across the country. Cyberbullying: A Parent’s NightmareAs a father, my heart goes out to Phoebe Prince’s parents, as they try to grieve and make sense out of what happened, as they wonder about the degree to which cyberbullying was a cause of their daughter’s death. And I’d bet that most of us who are parents of kids in school today are wondering similar things: could my son/daughter be the target of school bullies? Feb 01 2010What Administrators Say About Bullying and Safe School AmbassadorsHere are a few examples of what our Safe School Ambassador Program adults are seeing and saying about what is happening for them and their Ambassadors on their campuses. Jan 25 2010Safe School Ambassadors’ TestimonialsCommunity Matters has trained over 25,000 students and adults in the ten years since the inception of the Safe School Ambassadors Program. What do these young people feel and think about their experiences as Safe School Ambassadors? Here’s a sampling of what these courageous young people are doing and saying to break the code of silence. Jan 20 2010Bullying Out of Control: It’s Time for a Bystander RevolutionThere’s a growing virus spreading among our youth and I’m not talking about the H1N1 flu. Its name: “bystander-itis.” Jan 12 2010Bullying Hurts Bystanders TooWhen students observe mistreatment and don’t speak up, they not only give passive consent to the aggressors, but also pay a significant personal price. This price can include feelings of helplessness, guilt and anxiety. Jan 05 2010New RFPs for Grants to be Used for School Climate ImprovementWe have prepared an outline that contains links to several possible new ways to acquire Federal funding for school climate improvement, prevention of bullying, and other ways to keep schools free of violence and mistreatment. Oct 05 2009American Girl Confronts BulliesHow pervasive is bullying in America? The fact that the American Girl doll company has created a new doll that stands up to bullies says a lot about bullying as part of our culture. Sep 22 2009Bullying and Violence Need to be Expelled from SchoolThe school year has just begun and already we’re seeing the headlines of school violence. 
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