McGruff: Help Stop Bullies

By McGruff and Scruff
Dec. 29, 2009

In 1974, a neighborhood crime watch group was organized in South Dade County. Citizens met with their local law enforcement departments to ask what they could do to help the police apprehend a rapist terrorizing their community.

From this first informal meeting, communities and law enforcement began to work together to keep neighborhoods safe and free from crime.

An organization was formed, and Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County, Inc. (CCW) was registered as a 501(c) (3) non profit organization. Today, over 1,600 neighborhoods participate in the crime watch concept.

In 1979, the crime watch concept was introduced into the public school system at one school.

Because it succeeded in curbing school crime, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) requested we, CCW, expand its student crime watch program from one school to include all public schools in the county. Since that time, Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade (YCW) has functioned as an allied program of the public schools.

Methodology The public school system contracts with YCW to educate and train students in violence and crime prevention strategies.

Children also learn that good citizenship and personal responsibility include watching out for family, friends, schools and community. YCW maintains a presence in all M-DCPS.

The foundation of the YCW program is built upon a “school safety survey” which is administered at the school during the first few months of the school year.

It asks respondents to rank their particular safety concerns – those issues which they believe have the potential to cause harm to themselves or their schoolmates.

YCW students, student advisors, and our staff are then enlisted in the effort to resolve those issues impeding the safety, health, and education of young people. The results of the survey are prioritized and comprise the core content of the YCW program.

The YCW program is structured to teach leadership skills to students who volunteer to learn about school safety.

While they learn how to keep themselves safe, they also learn public speaking, critical thinking, leadership, and other skills that will serve them into their adult lives.

This, in turn, reinforces their self-esteem and promotes positive involvement, again curbing misbehavior, crime and violence in the school.

I’m McGruff the Crime Dog – world famous for my advice on how to stop crime before it happens, and for my great sense of humor. But seriously, my job is to help people, especially kids, learn how to be safe and make their neighborhood safer.

Something else you should know about me is that I go all over the country to talk to people about how they can take a bite out of crime. So if you see me in your town, come on up and say hi. You can recognize me by my tan trench coat – I never go anywhere without it.

This here is my nephew Scruff. He helps me show kids how they can stay safe. Scruff’s a good pup but sometimes gets himself into a bit of trouble. Lucky for him he’s got a good memory – eventually he remembers the right thing to do to get out of trouble. Want to know more about me and Scruff?

You can read more about yours truly in the story How McGruff Became the Crime Dog, and you can read some of Scruff’s adventures in these comic books.

Today we will talk about: Help Stop Bullies

 

Did you know that you can stop bullies? Bullies are a big problem for kids, but you have the power to stop them.

Bullies usually threaten or hurt other kids when no adults are around to see them do it. They know that if an adult did see them, the adult would stop the bully and help the victim.  

Instead, bullies wait until recess, between classes, or the walk home to push other kids around. They usually do it where other kids can see them, though. Bullies like an audience. It helps them feel powerful.

Most kids don’t like watching another kid get bullied. When one kid sees another being bullied, he or she can feel scared and powerless. That doesn’t have to be. When you see someone being bullied, remember the tips below and help stop a bully. 

 

Speak up. Tell the bully what you think of what’s going on. By saying, “that’s not funny, let’s get out of here” or something similar, you can help stand up for another kid.

Be a friend. When kids go somewhere without their friends, they are more likely to get picked on by a bully. If you see someone being picked on, even if you don’t know the person, be a friend and ask the kid to walk away from the bully with you.

Get an adult. If you see someone being bullied, get an adult. Either tell the adult what is going on or ask the adult to talk to the kid who is being bullied.

 

Learn about how Scruff deals with bullies by reading these great comics:

• Shortcut
• Wrong Street
• Lunch Money 

Also be sure to watch “Stop the Bully” to learn even more!

 

 

Source: McGruff

 

Editor’ Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com