Creating Responsive Communities for the Prevention of Peer Victimization
Working With Community Leaders
The WITS Programs extend beyond the school to involve community leaders including emergency services personnel, such as police officers, firefighters and paramedics, university and high school athletes, elders or any other adult role models dedicated to preventing peer victimization in their community.
The involvement of these community leaders demonstrates to children that there are responsible adults outside the walls of the school who believe in the WITS message and are willing to help children before problems escalate to someone getting hurt.
The Swearing-In Ceremony
Community leaders launch the WITS Primary Program with the Swearing-In Ceremony where students are sworn in as WITS Special Constables. The ceremony includes reading a short WITS story, teaching children to stand at attention, salute and offer a secret handshake. Community leaders also lead children in reciting a WITS oath before distributing their WITS Special Constable badges. Learn more...
The Tug-of-Help
Community leaders also kick off the WITS LEADS Program with a special skit called the Tug-of-Help. This interactive skit emphasizes how seeking help enables children to deal with situations where they feel unsafe no matter how big the problem appears to be. Community leaders can also use the Tug-of-Help to introduce the idea of WITS LEADERS -- older students who younger children can turn to for help. Learn more...
Classroom Visits
Community leaders also make monthly or bimonthly classroom visits throughout the school year to review the WITS message with students. These visits are essential to sustain a community presence and support students and teachers to continue integrating WITS.
When community leaders visit, they may give reminder gifts to the students, such as bookmarks, pens, pencils and posters. Every reminder gift is labeled with the WITS acronym to reinforce the program's message. The gifts help create a positive atmosphere of anticipation during the visits and also provide a tangible reminder to students to use their WITS on a daily basis.
The classroom visits are designed to be fun and flexible: in addition to talking about how they've used their WITS, students may also ask about the careers of these exciting people or the activities of admired university or high school athletes visiting as community leaders. Learn more...