Tuesday, August 25, 2009

THE ANTI BULLYING PROJECT--THREE STUDENT INTERNS/TRIPLETS ORGANIZING FORUMS

Jake, Jenna and Jacque Williams are three triplets who reside in Greenburgh and attend the Valhalla Schools. They are entering 12th grade and are working as student interns in Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner’s office. Their project: an anti bullying campaign.
They plan to form a task force this fall to address the bullying problem and to try to come up with recommendations.
As part of their efforts – they are seeking input from parents and children. If you have been victimized by bullying – or if your children have experienced bullying please e mail pfeiner@greenburghny.com and Supervisor Feiner will forward the e mail to them
If you would like to be part of a task force that will be addressing this problem please also advise.
Jake, Jenna & Jacque Williams will appear as guests on Supervisor Paul Feiner’s radio program this Friday at 10 AM to 11 on WVOX (1460 AM ---www.wvox.com). They will discuss their own experiences and the forums they plan to sponsor.
Paul Feiner

Some facts…

What is school bullying?
Bullying includes a wide variety of behaviors, but all involve a person or a group repeatedly trying to harm someone who is weaker or more vulnerable. It can involve direct attacks (such as hitting, threatening or intimidating, maliciously teasing and taunting, name-calling, making sexual remarks, and stealing or damaging belongings) or more subtle, indirect attacks (such as spreading rumors or encouraging others to reject or exclude someone).

How common is teen bullying?
Almost 30 percent of teens in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in school bullying as either a bully, a target of teen bullying, or both. In a recent national survey of students in grades 6 to 10, 13 percent reported bullying others, 11 percent reported being the target of school bullies, and another 6 percent said they bullied others and were bullied themselves.

Limited available data suggest that teen bullying is much more common among younger teens than older teens. As teens grow older, they are less likely to bully others and to be the targets of bullies.

School bullying occurs more frequently among boys than girls. Teenage boys are much more likely to bully others and to be the targets of bullies. While both boys and girls say others bully them by making fun of the way they look or talk, boys are more likely to report being hit, slapped, or pushed. Teenage girls are more often the targets of rumors and sexual comments. While teenage boys target both boys and girls, teenage girls most often bully other girls, using more subtle and indirect forms of aggression than boys. For example, instead of physically harming others, they are more likely to spread gossip or encourage others to reject or exclude another girl.

How does school bullying affect teens who are the targets of bullies?
Teen bullying can lead teenagers to feel tense, anxious, and afraid. It can affect their concentration in school, and can lead them to avoid school in some cases. If teen bullying continues for some time, it can begin to affect teens' self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. It also can increase their social isolation, leading them to become withdrawn and depressed, anxious and insecure. In extreme cases, bullying can be devastating for teens, with long-term consequences. Some teens feel compelled to take drastic measures, such as carrying weapons for protection or seeking violent revenge. Others, in desperation, even consider suicide. Researchers have found that years later, long after the bullying has stopped, adults who were bullied as teens have higher levels of depression and poorer self-esteem than other adults.

What are the long-term consequences of teen bullying behavior?
Teen bullying is often a warning sign that children and teens are heading for trouble and are at risk for serious violence. Teens (particularly boys) who bully are more likely to engage in other antisocial/delinquent behavior (e.g., vandalism, shoplifting, truancy, and drug use) into adulthood. They are four times more likely than nonbullies to be convicted of crimes by age 24, with 60 percent of bullies having at least one criminal conviction.

Information obtained from CDC

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

What irony! They picked the right office to start an anti-bullying campaign...

Anonymous said...

Dear Anonymous 8/25/2009 11:43 AM,

You took the words right out of my mouth (or off my keyboard). Couldn't agree with you more.

Amen.

can't make this stuff up said...

What fun! Adding: Feiner seen on news 12 today suggesting that Westchester Country offer perks to communities that will be required to build affordable housing. Perks such as money for education.(to school districts!)

Anonymous said...

Paul - Is this the same bullying that you did to the CSEA? They are already scared for life by just working for you. People are very happy just to be working but, unfortunately, it's to help you.

Anonymous said...

Again Feiner was this a deal made with Valhalla to have these students employed aas internes.
What happened to the money that you stole from the entire town which was given to Valhalla school district which was all used for personnal entertainment.

Did you shove this under the rug????

Anonymous said...

Paul why not concentrate on a program like this for GC7. They need your help not Valhalla.

Anonymous said...

GC7 does need help. It’s a rudderless ship that is going sink one of these days due to the continuing ineptitude.

Anonymous said...

AMEN.

Anonymous said...

What is the reason that you seem to favor Valhall.
They owe us some money or have you forgotten .

Anonymous said...

What about the $300,000 plus that the Greenburgh Housing Authority owes, while we are on the topic of amounts owed? Or how about the $2.7 million in unpaid parking tickets?

The silence from the Supervisor is deafening.

Anonymous said...

Yes. We have been bullied. Paul has stolen our lunch money and has given it away to his friends. He's the biggest bully in town.

Anonymous said...

we in Greenburgh have given this supervisor the upper hand to crap all over the residents.

He does what he wants
He covers up all the crookedness that goes on with the housing,Valhalla the lawyers who contribute to his campaigns because of favors granted.
He has been covering up for certain department heads,retired and still working.
One dept. head is not at her job as she states.
the retired one committed more crimes than some of the prisoners in jail.
We have one dept. head who claims to be a top law person that should go back to school to study law.
We have two dept .of recreations that is taking us to the poor house.

Does he care????NO
So long as he gets his votes from those that he keeps happy that being the villages the hell with the rest of the town.

With all the socalled politico could it be possible that there is no one that would like to step up to the plate to try to defeat Feiner?
If there is no one then the county should take the first step to rid Greenburgh of our biggest parasite.
We fell so low that no one wants to come into a total messw that need years to clear up.

Paul where has all our money gone to.

Anonymous said...

Why can't this school bullying be stopped all of those holy crap high salaries that are paid out to those administrators. You think with all that money they are making they could use their brains and figure out how to correct the problems.