SUDBURY—The Dare to Care program was a pilot project by the Rainbow District School Board (RDSB) in 12 schools across Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin Island, namely Little Current Public School (LCPS) this year. The innovative bullying prevention program, which was a team initiative of Landsdowne Public School and Valley View Public School in Sudbury, has made a difference.
“Yes, we have definitely seen an increase in the understanding of the students in the school of the terminology and bullying and what it is and isn’t and that bullying is not the right behaviour,” said Siobhan Bingham, music and resource teacher and coordinator of the program at LCPS. “We have been one of the pilot schools, and just recently wrapped up the overall program for this year. We have gone through the program using online age-appropriate modules for the students, professional learning for staff and a parent course as well.”
Dare to Care engages the entire school community to work towards a common goal, transforming the silent majority into the caring majority.
“Dare to Care engages the whole school community, which is important in shifting the overall culture of the school,” said RDSB director of education Bruce Bourget. “We want all schools to be places of learning where students feel safe in warm and welcoming environments. When students have a strong sense of belonging at school, they are ready to achieve their full potential.”
Students learn about the importance of being kind, the difference between bullying and mean moments, tattling versus asking for help, and standing up for yourself and others.
Prevention and intervention strategies focus on social emotional learning with an emphasis on empathy. Through the program all stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, support staff, parents/guardians and students, gain a deeper understanding of bullying and, more importantly, develop tools to create a caring community.
In all modules from Kindergarten to Grade 8, Dare to Care teaches children that not every unkind word or action is bullying. The program begins by instilling a common definition of bullying and a common language around bullying behaviour.
Students learn to understand the difference between a mean moment, normal conflict and bullying. They also learn a shared language around discrimination, racism and cyberbullying. In the older grades, students are introduced to the effects of bullying on mental health, sexual harassment and cyberbullying, and bullying and the law.
Students gain skills to de-escalate situations and more effectively report incidents of bullying. A student can ask a bully to stop (twice) in a calm voice, then walk away and seek adult assistance with three simple worlds: “Please help me!’ Adults are trained to listen carefully when they hear these words.
“One of the components of the program is realizing what we can do as individuals, a group, a community to prevent bullying and using the practices learned,” continued Ms. Bingham. “For example, if you are feeling bullied, or see something who is being bullied, the students now have the tools to use to help themselves or another person. One way is asking a trusted adult to help, techniques to diffuse the situation or avoid the situation, and using positive self talk to a bully to diffuse the situation.”
“There were various group quizzes and videos used in the program,” said Ms. Bingham. “We definitely saw an increase in understanding what is and isn’t bullying. As the program went on, more students came out with good strategies to get out of the situation and understood that bullying is not a positive behaviour.”
According to RDSB school administrators, response to Dare to Care has been positive. “The overall atmosphere in the school is different,” said Valley View Public School Principal Brenda Carr. “Being kind sparks joy. When the need arises, they help each other move back to the top of the kindness meter. Students have a remarkable ability to empathize at a young age.”
“The entire school community now has a common language and shared understanding of what bullying is, and, more importantly, what it isn’t,” said Landsdowne Public School principal Jennifer Harvey. “Students can self-reflect on whether an incident is a mean moment, normal conflict or bullying. They also know bullying is not acceptable and will be addressed.”
The program also helps parents/guardians become allies in supporting their children through resources and videos on a parent portal. Dare to Care carefully defines the word bulling and stresses the importance of having a common understanding of the definition. Parents learn what bullying looks like, including the difference between normal peer conflict and bullying.
Tips and guidelines are provided for parents to help their children make positive choices both online with social media and other technology and in their daily face-to-face interactions. During webinars, parents learn by what bullying looks like, including the difference between normal peer conflict and bullying.
Tips and guidelines are provided for parents to help their children make positive choices both online with social medial and other technology and in their daily face-to-face interactions. During webinars, parents learn six non-reactive life skills that can be reinforced at home so children feel more confident and competent in dealing with bullying situations.
At the beginning of each module, students are introduced to a tool to help gauge their kindness. In younger grades, kindness is measured on the positivity meter, which is much like a thermometer. In the older grades, the kindness meter is represented by batteries, like those on electric devices.
Founded in 1999 in Calgary, Dare to Care has worked with over 40 school boards, established programming in over 1,200 schools, and impacted over 75,000 students, teachers and parents each year.
