Kids at sports, art and nature camps learn how to prevent bullying
School is out, which means Social Health Association will soon deliver its Step Up for Kindness! program at Summer Youth Camps throughout central Indiana. Funded by two granting organizations, SHA health educators will present two, one-hour “kindness” classes over two days at over a dozen day camps totaling 1,600 educational hours from June 15 to July 29.
More than 800 kids at church camps, sports and arts camps and community centers will learn the basic tenants of bullying and how to prevent it this summer. Because they’re at camp, instructors can lead group-building activities and play games outside to reinforce kindness, empathy, compassion and anti-bullying concepts.
When inside, kids can use tablets to express their feelings about bullying.
“We live in a tech society,” said educator Burton Patterson. “The kids really love the electronics and getting to interact with it.”
Kids can write poems, make videos, create public service announcements or make a song on the Music Maker app. Older kids can draw a comic strip or simply talk through what to do when someone is being bullied.
Accepting more camps
Burton will be at camps teaching Kindergarten through eighth grade students nearly every day of the summer. Up five camps and 300 kids from this time last year, Social Health can serve another 300 children before reaching capacity this summer. Camps in Marion County interested in the program can call (317) 667-0340.
“The more kids we reach, the more impact we can have,” said Burton. “With this kind of hands-on, peer learning, I know we will see positive results manifested as kinder words and interactions, which we believe leads to less bullying.”