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No Bullying

No Bullying

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group of young men

Purpose

Learn how to prevent bullying and how to respond if it happens. You’ll be a peacemaker and become more like the Savior.

Description

As a group, choose a week to be “Kindness Week.” Make a list of goals or tasks for group members to do. Pray to know what specific items you can include that are good for your situation, school, or group. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Share a kind word with someone you don’t know well.

  • When you’re in a group, try to be aware of everyone, especially if someone doesn’t seem to feel included.

  • Write an anonymous thank-you note to a person who was kind to someone else.

  • In your morning prayer, ask for help to be compassionate that day.

  • Hug a friend.

  • Take a treat to a friend or neighbor who has been having a hard time.

  • Give a sincere compliment to someone who may have been unkind to you.

  • Write a list of nice things others have done for you.

  • Apologize sincerely for past behavior that wasn’t kind.

You may want to have a follow-up meeting where group members can share their experiences.

As you plan this activity, please follow the counsel given in chapter 13 of Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010) and review “Safety Recommendations for Church Activities.”

More Ideas

  • Understand bullying—Invite someone to come and speak to your group about bullying, including cyberbullying. Ask them to teach you why and how it happens, the consequences, and what to do about it. Consider watching a video like “Bullying—Stop It.”

  • Speak responsibly—Sometimes when we’re frustrated, we talk as if someone else made us feel that way: for example, “The boy at school annoyed me when …” Taking responsibility for our feelings instead of blaming others helps prevent bullying. As a group, practice changing blaming statements into responsible statements. For example, the statement above could become “I felt annoyed when …” You could even go a step further and talk about how to overcome negative feelings toward others.

  • Role plays—With the help of an adult, invite group members to role-play scenarios that may lead to bullying. Practice putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Focus on changing the outcome and repairing the relationship. Invite participants to make a pledge not to bully.

  • Scripture power—Kindness prevents bullying. The scriptures are full of stories about people who treated others kindly. For example:

    • Aaron and Hur holding up Moses’s hands (see Exodus 17:12)

    • Ruth’s commitment to Naomi (see Ruth 1:16–17)

    • Elisha’s dedication to the prophet Elijah (see 2 Kings 2:2)

    • Alma the Younger’s friendship with the sons of Mosiah (see Mosiah 27)

Find a fun way to learn about treating others kindly from these or other scripture stories. For example, group members could act them out with simple props or draw the story on a large sheet of paper while other group members guess the story.

Learn self-defense—Develop self-confidence and protect yourself against bullying by learning basic self-defense skills. See “Learn Self-Defense” for ideas.

Discussion

Encourage participants to talk about what they are learning. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity. You could ask questions like the following:

  • Why do you think it is important to show Christlike love to others, especially if they’ve been bullied or if they seem to be the bully?

  • When have you been able to prevent bullying or respond in a positive way when it happened?

  • What feelings or impressions do you have about focusing on kindness and awareness in response to bullying?

  • How can you apply what you are learning in your life?

Related Resources

Sabbath Day Lessons

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