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On March 3rd, I will be presenting at the National Conference on Youth Cybersafety in Dallas.  I’ll be speaking about Cyberbullying Prevention and Response, and there are a number of really bright and seasoned experts covering a variety of other topics at this event.  Adolescent brain development, legal issues, sexting prevention, social media use among youth-serving professionals, online reputations, school-based walled-garden social networking approaches, and student-led initiatives will all be addressed and discussed in detail.  If you are in the area, I encourage you to come out and meet me there!  You can learn more about the conference here www.youthcybersafety.com.

As regular readers of this blog will know, Sameer and I have had a long partnership with Jostens. When I was in high school in the mid-1990s, our class rings and yearbooks came from Jostens, so I knew of the brand. About four years ago, Charley Nelson, who is the director of educator services for Jostens, contacted me to talk about our cyberbullying work. Little did I know that in addition to their yearbooks and rings (they designed the 2011 Super Bowl ring!), they also coordinate a number of professional development activities for educators, mostly centered on cultivating a positive school climate. Their Renaissance Program emphasizes academic achievement, encourages student and staff recognition, and promotes school pride. We’ve worked with them over the last year to develop materials for “Pause Before You Post” – a campaign to educate teens about responsible personal publishing (online and off). See our “Student Guide to Personal Publishing” here.

The flagship event for Jostens Renaissance each year is their national conference, which draws over 1000 educators and student leaders from around the United States. I have been fortunate to have been a presenter at this conference for the past three years and I will tell you that it is flat out the best educator conference that I have been a part of. The positive energy is palpable and I leave the conference inspired and reinvigorated. There is a lot of learning and networking, infused with A TON of fun. This year, the conference is in Anaheim (July 15-17) and both Sameer and I will be there, presenting on issues related to cyberbullying, sexting, and responsible social networking. Headline speakers include Bill Walton (basketball Hall of Famer) and Liz Murray (Homeless to Harvard). If you have never been to this conference, you need to attend – and there is still time to sign up. I personally guarantee that you will not be disappointed. If you have attended in the past, leave a comment with your experience. If you will be there this year, stop by and say hello. If you are a Facebook follower, find me and mention this blog and I’ll give you a gift (while supplies last!). Hope to see you in Anaheim!

New Hampshire is one of the states whose cyberbullying law (passed earlier this year) we applaud. Specifically, House Bill 1523 asserts the following:

I. Bullying or cyberbullying shall occur when an action or communication as defined in RSA 193-F:3:

(a) Occurs on, or is delivered to, school property or a school-sponsored activity or event on or off school property; or

(b) Occurs off of school property or outside of a school-sponsored activity or event, if the conduct interferes with a pupil’s educational opportunities or substantially disrupts the orderly operations of the school or school-sponsored activity or event.

The language discussing cyberbullying that is initiated offline but still affects the school is extremely important, as educators are demanding clarity as to when they can intervene once a student of theirs is victimized. We particularly like the way this is worded – and every state needs to include language like this in their bullying/cyberbullying statutes.

This law and its application will be discussed in detail at an upcoming New Hampshire cyberbullying conference in Meredith on November 1st. I will be presenting, as will colleagues from the Attorney General’s Office and the Internet Crimes Unit, the State Trooper’s office, and the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC). I encourage you to attend if you can!

While many cyberbullying cases have come to our attention in the United States, the problem also exists in Canada.  In fact, the media reports seem to indicate a rise in online harassment among children and teenagers.  Our colleague Jenny Walker has summarized some of the Canadian cyberbullying research and researchers, and Justin and I have found it encouraging that federal and provincial granting agencies and other organizations are financially supporting many projects in this area – and have for a number of years.

There is also an upcoming cyberbullying conference in Toronto in March, which will bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss the relevant findings and issues, and to learn from each other.  Please let me know if you are attending, as I would love to meet more professionals from our northern neighbor.

The 7th Annual Conference of the International Bullying Prevention Association in Seattle, Washington is coming up quick, and we really hope you’re coming (register here).  We will be participating in a pre-conference on Monday, November 15th, and will be giving a presentation entitled “The Online Experience of Adolescent Girls: Cyberbullying, Sexting, and Relationship Abuse” on the morning of Tuesday, November 16th.  Justin and I really look forward to meeting you if we haven’t already, catching up with you if we have, hanging out, and brainstorming about new initiatives and collaborations.  Many people are doing awesome, pioneering work in the fields of bullying and cyberbullying, and we are honored to be able to rub elbows with them.  If you have any questions about the conference or our roles in it, or if you want to get together to chat while we are there – please let us know.