Some thinking required….

Teens and pre-teens face daily relationship challenges. Words and actions do threaten and hurt. With all the campaigns aimed at preventing and reducing teen bullying, harassment and violence, we’ve come across a few that we like… and also seem to resonate with teens.

That’s Not Cool.com, is a website for pre-teens to learn about appropriate behaviour in dating relationships and what could be warning signs of potential relationship violence. The site offers safe ways for teens to identify and ‘call out’ behaviour that is… ‘not cool’.

ThinkB4youspeak.com challenges youth to think about the words they use in everyday language and that peers can feel victimized by pervasive use of hurtful language. ThinkB4youspeak.com has several ‘hit-it-home’ videos aimed at the use of the phrase “that’s so gay”. The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN), creators of the website, knows that changing attitudes and language used by teens is no easy task… but it’s an important education effort to prevent LGBTQ youth from being hurt, threatened, stalked or humiliated.

ThinkB4youspeak.com encourages youth to make their ‘that’s so day’ videos. Here’s one of the best.

What smart resources have you come across that help to prevent victimization among teens and youth? Add a comment below to share them with us.