The P◆E◆A◆C◆E Challenge

Science Chic wrote: 285Bound has "Liked" the PEACE Challenge on FB, thanks for letting us know about it so we could do that! I'm looking forward to more content being added, and if we can help promote any events you have, please let us know!

Have you considered writing an article for the Mountain Connection? :thumbsup:

There is another organization that works to raise awareness, with their focus being on people who feel that they've nothing left to lose, for whatever reason, and take drastic measures. Their focus is on suicide, but it could just as easily apply toward kids who resort to shooting their fellow students and teachers. It's called the Carson J Spencer Foundation , and I highly encourage anyone interested to check them out and contact them for more information, or to have them come to your school, or maybe even volunteer with them.

Here's a Canyon Courier article that was written about them last year detailing more.

I love that this thread is open and happening and I believe this topic is long overdo for discussion. I don't think that anyone can argue with the fact that what is happening at home is brought to school with every student as well as the fact that what is happening at school gets brought home with every school age child. The two are intertwined for them.

One question being asked is if Bullying is worse today is our children's generation than it was in ours. Some responses are mixed while others suggest the answer to be a definite YES based on the greater reach of the "tools" available to those bent on bullying and inflicting pain and fear on their peers. Some to the extreme of murdering others before taking their own lives. Does the use of the internet, Facebook and texting play a role? YES. Does the use of fists, shoving, verbal bashing, constant belittling, knives and guns play a role? YES. But these "TOOLS" do not cause harm rather it is the INTENT to do harm behind those who use them to do so.

My question is what is the ROOT CAUSE of Bullying? Once we can discuss that topic, and the basis of the FEAR that causes the bully to bully we can better understand how to deal with the raging problem and to create a means of prevention.

We teach history in schools including the history of war, we teach social studies in schools including the differences in cultures and socities, and we teach foreign languages in schools and their origins and translations, I wonder why we do not teach PEACE in schools and how to achieve it?

When you are sitting is a classroom, walking in a school hallway, reading in the library, or eating lunch in school cafeteria and a BULLY firing a gun intent on killing whom ever their bullets hit you do not have the luxury to standing up to the bully to get them to back down. When you are taken hostage by a monster, (adult bully), in your English class and SWAT is required to defuse the situation, the sticks and stones philosophy isn't going to save you. The problem is much larger and broader than the culture on our school campuses and school buses. The culture our kids experience in school is a mirror of the culture of our society as a whole. The blame cannot be limited to choices of school administrations, teachers, bus drivers, parents, peers, siblings, economic backgrounds, etc., the problem needs to be addressed by entire communities, families, extended families, towns, cities, counties, and states. Open threads like this one and honest and open conversations, including students, teachers, administration, parents and concerned parties are a great start. Pointing fingers and laying blame will only keep the bullying alive.

Maybe one question we can all start with is "WHAT DOES PEACE MEAN TO ME?"