The University of Manitoba Bisons are in the middle of a campaign to put an end to bullying.
Now in its seventh season, Bisons Against Bullying is visiting Manitoba schools to speak on the issue, which affects thousands of students across the province. More than 130 schools have been visited by Bison student-athletes since the program began.
The program consists of defining what bullying actually is, who are its victims, why do people get bullied and how to prevent it from happening. The one-hour presentation is aimed at Grade 4, 5 and 6 students and is in conjunction with the University of Manitoba Athletes Council (UMAC).
“We are striving to reach out to as many schools and students as possible. If we were able to visit 10 schools each term, I think we would consider that to be a success this season,” said Andrew Kochan, the campaign’s student coordinator.
Athletes have already visited four schools and spoken to more than 450 students this term.
The ninth year of Bullying Awareness Week in Canada runs from November 14-20, 2011.