A good friend of mine, Debbie Bookstaber, is running for Tredyffrin school board in Pennsylvania. She does a lot of great work with anti-bullying efforts, especially for young girls.

Bullying can affect self-esteem, to the point where it can contribute to poor school attendance, eating disorders, suicide, and violent reactions.

I noticed in Debbie’s links it mentions “CyberBullying.” I hadn’t thought about the problem before in that way, but I have heard reports about some of the awful things students have posted about each other on various social networking sites. It is tough as a parent to know how to address these issues, especially as new technology complicates things even further.

She’s linked to some really helpful resources. Here are the ones she has up, but link to her post and check back because she may add some more.

For parents:

• Stop Bullying Now
• National Youth Violence Prevention Center
• TE School District Guide on Cyberbullying

For parents of girls:

• Odd Girl Out
• This article in Oprah Magazine summarizes some of the advice Rachel Simmons gives in Odd Girl Out.
• The Ophelia Project

If you have some to add, go share them with Debbie and or here!

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