
There
are three parts of The Megan Pledge, a
signed individual pledge,
a group banner and
black and white polka-dot ribbons
to wear and share.
The pledge itself contains both statements and a set of promises.
It is signed and witnessed and given to WiredSafety’s Megan Pledge
volunteer team. The first name and last initial of the person taking
the pledge, as well as their town and state are added to the roster.
The pledge commits the person, individually, to take a stand against
cyberbullying, to offer support to those being cyberbullied and to
report it whenever they find it. They also commit to understanding
that suicide is never an option, empowering them to be part of the
solution, instead of the problem. They take the pledge for
themselves. They take it for Megan. They take it for all others who
have experienced the pain of cruel words and actions in cyberspace,
on cell phones and through gaming devices.
The Megan Pledge is more than a pledge. It’s more than a banner.
It’s more than a polka-dot ribbon. It is a movement. Empowering
children, tweens and teens to be part of the cyberbullying solution
instead of the problem, The Megan Pledge gives them concrete steps
to take to address the rising cyberbullying epidemic. The Pledge
gives them the chance to say “Enough!” when faced with cyberbullying
by providing conflict resolution methods, anger management skills
and support for the target. At the same time, it teaches students
how to avoi becoming a cyberbully themselves, by either acting out
or responding to an attack.
Schools
taking The Megan Pledge can create a “cyberbully-proof zone” for
their students. The Pledge is designed to be shared. After reciting
and signing the Pledge document either in person or online, the
student is committed to sharing what they have learned with others.
They get a card to give to someone they care about, stating that
they took the pledge for this person, would they take it for them.
The black and white polka-dot ribbons, worn tied at the wrist or
looped and pinned on a shirt, makes a statement. The students are
permitted to sew sequins on their ribbons to show how many they have
recruited more ribbons the student shares with others, and the more
students they can recruit to take the PledgeIt creates an atmosphere
In polls of 45,000 students conducted by
WiredSafety.org, at least
85% of middle school students reported being cyberbullied at least
once in 2007. In some cases, the percentage of students reporting
having been targeted by a cyberbully ran as high as 97% of middle
school students.
And cyberbullying isn’t limited to middle schoolers. Students as
young as those in second grade are learning about cyberbullying the
hard way. Often before they know how to use the technologies
effectively, they are forced to contend with mean messages, lewd
language and threats. When asked to describe cyberbullying, second
graders in Long Island, NY, explained that extortion, manipulated
pictures, ID theft, hacking and text-bullying were commonplace. At
the same time, they gave more than twenty reasons why children will
not confide in their parents, when targeted. If children, tweens and
teens are being attacked, and can’t turn to their parents, where do
they go for help? The obvious choice, their best friends, may not be
the trustworthy confidant they were expecting. One young teen told
Parry that “You never know if the cyberbully is really your best
friend or worst enemy. You never know if your friend is just
laughing at you behind your back when you turn to him for help.”
This creates an environment where the student has no safe place to
turn, and no safe person to share their pain.
Stopcyberbullying.org. |