The City of Palm Springs’ Human Rights Commission and the Coachella Valley Firebirds are hosting a free community forum and discussion called “Bullying: A Community Symposium on Prevention and Intervention Strategies” to coincide with National Bullying Prevention Month. The event will take place Saturday, October 1, 2022

Bullying is one of the most common forms of violence, affecting millions of American children and adolescents annually. Three million students are absent each month because they feel unsafe at school and 80,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools in the United States every month. Nearly 42% of youth have been bullied online, often multiple times. Tragically, there is a strong association between bullying and depression, anxiety, and suicide-related behaviors.

The keynote speaker will be Judy French, Coordinator, National Bullying Prevention Center – Los Angeles. The Prevention Center actively leads social change to prevent childhood bullying, so that all youth are safe and supported in their schools, communities and online.

A panel of subject matter experts, including representatives from Boo2Bullying.org, Queer Works, the Palm Springs Unified School District, the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Springs, and the Palm Springs Police Department will share their insights on this important topic. The panel will discuss how parents, youth, community leaders, educators, and others can help to prevent, report, mitigate bullying, as well as support victims of bullying. Several other community organizations will be available to provide resources and discuss how their work support the Palm Springs community in creating a world without bullying.

The event is free, but registration is required. You can register here.