Taunting, Bullying, Gossip. Rumors. Exclusion. Hazing. No matter what you call it, teens end up suffering when they are on the receiving end of any of these behaviors. The programs in this series follow the same group of teens as they learn to identify harassment and recognize their own role in the bully/target/bystander cycle. WHEN WORDS HARASS: Defusing Gossip and Rumors
Samantha and Zack are running against each other for student body president. As Samantha's following grows, Zack's friends launch a rumor on the Internet that she stole money from a recent fundraiser in order to finance her campaign. Students learn that when rumors are used as a weapon, for power or to seek revenge, it becomes harassment. A rumor that Bodie has a contagious sexually transmitted body rash spreads like wildfire throughout the school until he stands up and "spreads" the truth. 22 minutes #10421
WANTING IN, KEEPING OUT: When Cliques Harass
Follow the stories of Olivia and Logan who are both being excluded from an existing clique. During the summer Olivia became friends with Ashley and her clique of friends. Now, on a whim, Dana, the clique's leader is tormenting Olivia - sending the message that she is no longer "in". Logan's clever ideas get him a spot on the Winter Revue committee but some members of the tightly knit theater group stereotype him as preppy and are always putting him down. Finally, other members of the group speak out against the attempts to exclude Logan. 20 minutes #10422
IN THE FACE OF BULLYING AND TAUNTING: Assert Yourself
Kai is being physically bullied and intimidated by Kevin and Jose. Dana is tormenting and taunting Tara about her weight. Both of them are feeling humiliated, hurt and powerless to stop it. Kai's friend Dylan witnesses the bullying but remains silent about the bullying. Friends encourage Kai to seek help from their club advisor, who then steps in. Tara's mother helps her see that she is not to blame for the harassment, and if she gets more involved at school with things she enjoys, she will feel better about herself and not "buy into" what Dana is saying about her. 18 minutes #10423
HAZING: The Hazards of Going Along
Rookie members of the baseball team, and pledges to an exclusive girls sorority are told that they must do silly, dangerous and humiliating things in order to be accepted into the group. While some established members of these groups feel what they are asking of the newbies is wrong, they are intimidated by their leaders and don't speak up. Zach proves that it is possible to change when, despite his initial involvement in the hazing, he opts to give voice to his objections by helping Samantha write an article about hazing for the school newspaper. 19 minutes #10424
SAY NO TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT
From simple words and suggestive body language to obvious physical intimidation, sexual harassment comes in many guises. A girl, who stalks him in the halls, blowing him kisses and sending him photos of herself over the Internet, is pursuing Dylan relentlessly. A friend helps him realize that to stop the persistent behavior he needs to clearly tell the girl that he is NOT interested. Sophie is being sexually harassed by her boss at her after-school job. When she asks him to stop, he threatens her by implying she will lose her job if she doesn't allow his behavior. In the end, Sophie feels she has to tell the storeowner in order to stop the harassment. 20 minutes #10426
TARGETS, BULLIES, BYSTANDERS: Handling Harassment
Dylan, who has been a bystander to bullying events throughout the series, is never without his video camera. He decides to take a stand against harassment by putting footage he has filmed over the course of the series to good use. When he shows his friends their part in the bully/target/bystander cycle, he encourages them to think of ways to change the ending of each situation. DJ, who clearly harasses others, sees his own behavior in Dylan's movie and makes a major change in his behavior. 19 minutes #10427
*Includes Teacher's Guides for each program