Creative Approach to Bullying Issue
by Jamilah Vogel,
June 2, 2011, page 6.....

It’s an age-old problem. Kids can be cruel, often without realizing the impact they have on others. The Prevention And Wellness Students (PAWS) group at CCS has decided to do something about it. Focusing on their own grade levels, 5th and 6th, the group planned two days of events on May 31 and June 1 to help build awareness and empathy. On Tuesday, the 6th graders worked with special guest Kim Jordan, and the 5th graders planned to view an award-winning video on the subject and engage in follow-up lessons. Wednesday was “Mix-It-Up at Lunch Day.”

CCS has been very active in addressing bullying and harassment through integrated educational efforts. These PAWS-sponsored events fell in place nicely to support the other school wide efforts.

The most innovative and exciting parts of the program were the workshops by Theatre-in-Action founder, program director and theatre practitioner Kim Jordan. She recently conducted workshops with the 8th grade students on identity and non-verbal communication through their LifeSkills classes. These sessions were so successful that it was a natural decision to bring her back. Theatre-in-Action is an educational theatre program designed to help students explore social issues through theatre techniques, role-playing, play-building and performance poetry.

Kim teaches key concepts in anti-bullying awareness and empathy while empowering students to take a stand against injustice. She is leading a series of workshops for the CCS 6th grade to help them explore stigmatization, creative problem-solving and repercussions of their behaviors. Kim received her M.A. in Applied Theatre from Skidmore College with a focus on bullying prevention in Vermont schools; she believes that, “When youth are allowed to critically examine their proposed solutions for a familiar problem by acting it out, they are empowered to take responsibility for their choices because they see, hear, and feel those choices in action, on a stage, with the support of their peers.” For more information on Theatre-in-Action and other programs offered by Kim Jordan, check out theatreinaction.org.

The PAWS group is overseen by the Student Assistance Program with support from CSSU’s district-wide prevention coalition, CY-Connecting Youth. For more information, go to seewhy.info.

Jamilah Vogel is the CY-Connecting Youth Student Assistance Program (SAP) Counselor at Charlotte Central School.