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Teacher Elizabeth Lee (far left), UFT BRAVE Director Anthony Harmon (fourth from left) and BRAVE professional development specialist Darlene Post (second from right) pose with students from MS 839, Brooklyn, who received the conference’s video recognition award.
As a youngster, said the UFT’s David Kazansky, he saw friends bullied and he was occasionally bullied. When he was a teacher, he saw students bullying each other. The issue, he said, “is close to my heart.”
Kazansky, now a trustee of the Teachers’ Retirement System, was the honoree at the annual Be BRAVE Against Bullying Conference on May 6 at the UFT headquarters, for his work in launching the Building Respect, Acceptance and Voice through Education (BRAVE) campaign five years ago.
The campaign’s new director, Anthony Harmon, who organized the event, said more students are clamoring for help, especially in this day and age when they can be bullied relentlessly and anonymously on social media.
“We wanted the kids in the audience to know that they are not in this thing by themselves, that they can reach out for help and that there are parents and teachers and organizations ready to step up and make things better,” Harmon said.
In fact, the internet and social media have made it easier for children to be bullied and harassed by people they have never even met. The National Education Association estimates upward of 160,000 teens skip school every day to escape bullying, and recent surveys estimate 90 percent of students in grades 4–8 have reported being victims of bullies.
The conference and resource fair featured a presentation by the Creative Arts Team/CUNY and a panel discussion about what it takes to create a school culture that deters bullying.
The Creative Arts Team of actors/educators — Carmen Kelly, Priscilla Flores and Keith Johnston — performed skits to demonstrate various bullying scenarios, then engaged the audience in conversation about them. After one skit, which depicted a restaurant manager berating a staffer, audience members said they were surprised to recognize that this was a bullying scenario and acknowledged that bullying comes in many forms. (For more information about the program, visit the Creative Arts Team website.)
Following the performances, there was a panel discussion on the importance of safety and security in a school, featuring Dr. Sairah Qureshi, the founder of Action Against Bullying; Michele Rawlins-Brown, the principal of PS 287, Brooklyn; Luther Lohr, a teacher and the chapter leader at PS 287; and Michael West, a retired teacher and the founder of Guiding Principles of Peace and Unity, which creates a schoolwide system of anti-bullying behaviors.
The City Council recognized the importance of getting the anti-bullying message to young people with a proclamation declaring May 6 as Be Brave Day. More than 150 parents, educators, students and community members attended.
“By removing the stigma that often comes with bullying, we can help our schools create a culture where bullying is not tolerated,” Harmon said.
BRAVE campaign staff cited students from MS 839, Brooklyn, and their teacher Elizabeth Lee, for their winning entry in BRAVE’s anti-bullying video contest.
Said Kazansky, “What you do makes a difference. Not just to you but to others. When someone steps in and stops someone from being bullied, you have made a difference in that person’s life and your life forever.”