The Catalyst

Counselling Corner

As cited in TEACH Magazine, here are some great online resources regarding cyberbullying: Cyberbullying.ca...an online resource which shows the forms cyberbullying takes in the "Examples" link; examples about how to prevent cyberbullying in the "What Can be Done" category; and information about email, IM (instant messaging) and chatroom/bash boards. Education is the key, and the more educated we can be as counsellors, the more we can relate to our students' concerns in this area. Check out Champions Against Bullying workshops for parents and teachers and read on to learn more about this organization.
More at... http://www.naylornetwork.com/bco-nwl/assets/wrkspsallmini.pdf

From the BC Counsellor

In our next issue of BC Counsellor, the focus is on cyberspace and some of the issues coming from living in our wired world. In counselling, we find ourselves dealing with cyberbullying. We were able to feature an article by Alexandra Penn, founder and director of Champions Against Bullying, a national organization dealing with creative ways to dialogue and deal with bullying behaviour. Read on the find out more about Alex Penn and the organization, as well as her thoughts about childhood and bullying behaviour.
More at... http://www.naylornetwork.com/bco-nwl/assets/champsagainstbullying.pdf

The Learning Curve

The keynote speaker at our BCSCA conference this year was Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabees, a book dedicated to helping girls survive the perilous journey through "girl stuff." More resources in this area include: It's a Girl's World DVD which takes us inside the tumultuous relationships of a clique of popular 10-year-old girls. The camera captures a disturbing picture of how they use their friendships to hurt--with shunning, whispering and mean looks--in order to gain social power. It's a Girl's World shatters the myth that social bullying among girls is an acceptable part of growing up.
More at... http://www2.nfb.ca/boutique

Members

As the world of cyberspace begins to become omnipresent, it is changing the way we do our work and the ethics that drive our daily decision making. To that end, the Canadian Teachers' Federation has created a resource to help us navigate the tricky world of electronic communication, which becomes doubly important in the role of the school counsellor. Daily, we deal with issues arising from the technical world and its impact on our students and their families: internet & gaming addictions; cyberbullying, chat room concerns; texting and cheating issues in the classroom; inappropriate use of camera phones, and the list goes on. Have a look at the suggestions made by the Canadian Teachers' Federation...they may surprise you, and at the very least you will be informed about this very important topic!
More at... http://www.ctf-fce.ca/e/resources/cyberbullying/brochure.asp