Bullying Prevention: Strategies to Support Statewide Collaboration

Bullying remains a common experience for many children and is a serious public health problem since it adversely affects both the mental and physical health of children and youth. Bullying has received heightened exposure in the media recently due to a surge in bullying incidents and tragedies nationwide, calling attention to the need for collaborative efforts to implement evidence-based programs in our nation’s schools.

In 2007 the Highmark Foundation, recognizing the lasting emotional effects of bullying and its impact on academic progress, created the Healthy High 5 Bullying Prevention Institute to support implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program in Pennsylvania. Since then, they have convened a coalition including the Foundation, government leaders, educators and health promotion professionals to implement the Olweus model which has shown significant reductions in student reports of being bullied and bullying others.

This webinar brought together public and private sector stakeholders to share lessons learned from the efforts in Pennsylvania and facilitate dialogue on strategies to implement a population-wide public health initiative to spur national behavior and culture change and ultimately prevent school-based bullying across the United States.