November 19–25, 2017

For 15 years, educational workers have been supporting bullying-prevention initiatives across Canada. This year, bullyingawarenessweek.org Canada has identified “Stand Up! (to bullying)” as the theme for Bullying Awareness Week.

It has never been more important to stand up and challenge bullying. Incidents of bullying continue to affect the lives of countless young people, and whenever we hear of such incidents, whether they happen locally or around the globe, we must all work together to stand up and stop them.

Fifteen years ago, Bill Belsey, a Canadian educator and father, came up with the idea of a Bullying Awareness Week. A short time later he was asked to make presentations about the idea, and soon he was travelling across the country. Unions, boards of education and many other groups and organizations picked up on the importance of highlighting the fight against bullying and this week is now recognized in many countries around the world.

Depending on where you live, bullying awareness may be celebrated on different dates and with varied events throughout the year, but the theme of ending the damaging effects of bullying is always at the core. In Ontario, the Ministry of Education has identified November 19–25, 2017 as the week for schools to highlight bullying awareness and prevention. We encourage all members to take this opportunity to raise awareness and stand up to bullying.