Students from around the province are invited to apply for a spot on Premier Christy Clark’s anti-bullying advisory group.
Twelve students will be chosen to provide advice and insight to the premier and Peter Fassbender, minister of education, on the ERASE (Expect Respect And a Safe Education) Bullying strategy.
“As a parent, I want every child to feel safe at school and safe from bullies,” said Clark in a media release. “That’s why I made addressing bullying a priority. One of the best places to start is hearing from and learning how students want to see bullying addressed and stopped. Standing up together sends a strong message—bullying is wrong, and we will not be intimidated.”
Clark initiated the strategy in June 2012 to prevent, identify and stop harmful behaviours by children and adults—whether online, at school or in the community.
The ERASE Student Advisory group’s first task will be to develop social media guidelines for school districts. These will provide direction for students, parents and educators on how to use social media ethically and responsibly.
Theresa Campbell, president of Safer Schools Together, a Surrey-based organization which delivers professional development in violence prevention, and Jesse Miller, a respected authority on social media safety issues, will support the students in developing the guidelines.
“We are constantly looking for new ideas on how to change the culture of bullying,” said Fassbender, “so we’re creating the ERASE Student Advisory because we need input and feedback on how to erase bullying on all fronts—and what better place to look than the voices and ideas of BC students.”
Students on the advisory group will also act as ambassadors of change for their regional schools and districts to ensure safe learning environments. They will gather the views of students and act as representatives in their roles as liaisons to the government.
Students will be selected based on the application they submit to their school district.
Gerry Brach, School District 47’s safe school coordinator, said that information about how to apply will be provided for the students in the first week of February.
For more information about how to apply, readers can contact Brach at [email protected]. Deadline for applications is Monday, February 10. More information about ERASE Bullying is available online.
