Politics & Government
County Lends a Hand to Help Stop Bullying
County-led committees plan to discuss bullying and how to stop it among area youth. The public is welcomed to attend.
In 2009, Hillsborough County Commissioner Rose Ferlita formed the county's Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee – the first of its kind – in an effort to hinder and eradicate all forms of bullying and bring public awareness to this epidemic.
“Despite all the news you hear lately about bullying, we were one of the first groups to jump on board and create several programs on the topic, since the school district had none,” said Carol Michel, community relations coordinator for Hillsborough County Criminal Justice.
The Bully Busters program is a collaborative effort between the Hillsborough County Criminal Justice Liaison, the Sheriff's Office and Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay. The team is comprised of adult committees and a youth council.
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Like their adult counterparts, the youth council, which has about 60-65 students from various Hillsborough County neighborhoods, is just as eager to help abolish bullying in their classrooms.
The students will meet today, Jan. 18 to discuss bullying and how to remedy the problem. The meeting will be held from 6 to 8p.m. at the County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa.
Find out what's happening in Bloomingdale-Riverviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“This includes workbooks, videos or games that may be incorporated into a curriculum later implemented by the county libraries or after-school programs," Michel said. "The students rate these items and provide suggestions as to which were impactful and which weren’t."
The meeting is open to the public.
“Our intent is to train, educate and bring awareness to the subject and we encourage everyone to come down and get involved," she said.
If you are interested in enrolling your child or teen in a safe and fun self-defense program where they can learn self-defense, respect and discipline while boosting their self-confidence, Patch has compiled a list of area martial arts facilities just for you.
- In W. Kim’s Martial Arts Academy, 3519 Bell Shoals Road, Valrico, (813) 651-2234.
- Tae Kwon Do University, 3320 S. Kings Ave., Brandon, (813) 657-9000.
- Shaolin-Do Kung Fu and Tai Chi School, 413 Lithia-Pinecrest Road, Brandon, (813) 777-5397.
- Sidekicks Family Martial Arts Center, 16633 FishHawk Blvd., Lithia, (813) 661-2224
- Lee Jacobs Christian Karate, 930 Lithia-Pinecrest Road, Brandon, (813) 684-3216.
- Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center, 405 Beverly Blvd., Brandon, (813) 689-0908
