OTTAWA, December 8, 2011 - The RCMP and University of Victoria researchers have entered into a unique partnership to address the issue of youth bullying and suicide. On December 7, six RCMP officers from across Canada came together in Ottawa to take part in a pilot program where they received training in understanding and preventing bullying in elementary school children.
The training was delivered through the evidence-based WITS Programs. WITS stands for Walk Away, Ignore, Talk It Out and Seek Help, all skills young children can use to deal with bullying.
"Youth bullying knows no boundaries,” says University of Victoria psychologist, Dr. Bonnie Leadbeater, who developed the WITS program. “Children everywhere are subjected to this defeating and damaging behaviour that erodes their mental health and can lead to suicide. Youth in Canada's rural communities are particularly vulnerable. A new partnership between the RCMP, youth organizations and researchers from the University of Victoria will train RCMP youth officers to assist schools and communities in delivering this successful anti-bullying program where it's never been offered before".
The primary goal of the program is to create communities that are responsive to the prevention of peer victimization and bullying. The trained RCMP officers will play a central role in assisting school staff, parents, and community leaders in taking a unified approach to reducing bullying in their communities.
Funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the project builds on a unique partnership that links the RCMP’s National Youth Officers Program with leaders of:
- PREVNet: a national network of Canadian researchers and youth serving organizations;
- the Rock Solid Foundation: a not-for-profit crime prevention group in Victoria BC; and
- researchers from the University of Victoria.
The RCMP provides youth officer services for approximately 5,000 schools in Canada, many in rural and Aboriginal communities, however, crime prevention is a responsibility for all RCMP officers.
“The RCMP recognizes that our communities and our partners are critical to ensuring successful outcomes for our youth,” says Insp. Shelly Dupont, the officer in charge of the RCMP's National Crime Prevention Services. “Through the dedication of our officers, we support our youth by providing them with the skills and knowledge to recognize, report and address inappropriate actions and build positive relationships ”.
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For more information on the WITS program, please contact:
For more information, please contact:
RCMP Media Relations
Tel: 613-843-5999
or visit: http://www.witsprogram.ca/contact-us/
