Drs. Stephanie Jones and Richard Weissbourd – Anti-Bullying Experts – to Speak in Wayland: “Preventing Bullying Begins with Us – Continued”
Join us for a discussion with Drs. Stephanie Jones and Richard Weissbourd, as they address the Walden Forum at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 30. The Walden Forum is held at the First Parish Meeting House, at the intersection of Routes 20 and 27 in Wayland, Mass.
On February 29, Weissbourd and Jones helped orchestrate the Harvard Graduate School of Education launch of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. The foundation has partnered with The Berkman Center at Harvard and other foundations to explore the best ways to reach youth and create a new culture of of kindness, bravery, acceptance and empowerment.
It is their feeling that it is important for educators, parents, coaches and all in the community to address the issue of bullying . We must continue to raise awareness about its prevalence, and help our youth as well as our adult community understand its detrimental effects on all involved.
The Anti-Bullying Duo will discuss the various actions of bullies, the reasons for their actions, the effects of bullying, and possible responses for taking a stand against bullying. By raising awareness of bullying we can help decrease the behavior. How can we curb this problem once and for all? And how do we capitalize on all the attention focused on the subject now?
They will help us recognize where the main solution lies and to avoid the tendency to simply blame bullying on "bad" kids or bad behavior. Bullying often has deep roots in parents' attitudes and behavior, along with parents, administrators and educators who ignore the problem. Stopping bullying begins with us and our community and with changing the attitudes that allow it to continue.
Jones and Weissbourd will discuss the best way to prevent bullying, and many other forms of cruelty and harassment, by encouraging and enabling children to care for and take responsibility for each other, emphasizing that it is a community effort, not just a school problem. Research shows that bullying is greatly reduced, in particular, when children who witness bullying stand up for the victim. Bullying brings home to parents our fundamental moral responsibilities. How can we and our children help build just and caring communities?
Stephanie Jones, Ph.D. is an assistant professor with the Prevention Science and Practice Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Professor Jones teaches courses in Public Policy and Child Development, Ecological Approaches to Studying Human Development and Risk and Resilience in Social Contexts from Birth to Young Adulthood. Jones’ basic developmental research focuses on the effects of poverty and exposure to violence on social and emotional development in early childhood and adolescence.
She earned her doctorate in developmental psychology from Yale University and was awarded the 2008 Grawemeyer Award in Education for her work on “A Vision for Universal Preschool Education,” published by Cambridge University Press.
Richard Weissbourd, Ed.D. is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he directs the Human Development and Psychology Program, and a lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. His work focuses on moral development, vulnerability and resilience in childhood and effective schools and services for children. He is currently conducting research on how older adults can better mentor young adults and teenagers in developing ethical, mature romantic relationships. He has advised on the city, state and federal levels on family policy and school reform and has written for numerous scholarly and popular publications and blogs. He is the author of The Vulnerable Child: What Really Hurts America’s Children and What We Can Do About It, named by the American School Board Journal as one of the top 10 education books of all time. His most recent book, The Parents We Mean to Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children's Moral and Emotional Development, was named by The New Yorker as one of the top 24 books of 2009.
Weissbourd earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and his Ed.D. degree from Harvard University.
About the Walden Forum – The Walden Forum is a free public series that brings people together to talk, listen and learn from one another in a civil environment. It fosters discussion about important ethical, religious, political, scientific, social and other topics in a live-forum setting. Dynamic speakers challenge and expand our views about the world around us and offer the opportunity for an open discussion of these issues in a convenient, local setting. Featuring world-class speakers on great topics throughout the year, the Walden Forum is a non-religious community program supported by First Parish in Wayland and others, and held at the historic 1815 First Parish Meetinghouse at the intersection of Routes 20 and 27 in Wayland Center. For more information go to www.waldenforum.org or write to info@waldenforum.org.
