Invite anti-bullying activist Jodee Blanco to speak at your school, or to your group. She understands first-hand the reality of being the school outcast. From fifth grade through senior year of high school, she was shunned, abused and tormented by her peers simply for being different and refusing to conform to the rules of the cool crowd.

Jodee’s story however has a happy ending. She not only survived those years of ostracism and pain, but she grew up to become a highly successful entrepreneur.  Her brave memoir PLEASE STOP LAUGHING AT ME… landed a spot on the New York Times Best-Seller list within 48 hours of its release, and climbed steadily for six straight weeks. Each day, she receives dozens of emails and letters from students, parents, educators, and “Adult Survivors of Peer Abuse,” like herself from across the country, thanking her for her courage, advice, and the hope she represents.

Elected Government officials – Jodee will work with you on anti-bullying legislation and speak to your assembly on behalf of the bill.

Student Presentation(s)
The student presentation(s) is ninety minutes.  I relive painful episodes from my past in front of the students so that they can witness firsthand what I endured at the hands of my peers.  It’s emotional and intense and allows the audience to live inside the heart and head of the bullying victim.  My primary message to students is three fold: bullying is not just joking around, it damages you for life; bullying just isn’t the mean things you do, it’s all the nice things you never do; and if you’re being bullied or shunned, there’s nothing wrong with you, it’s everything that’s right about you that makes you a target, and that you shouldn’t change for anyone, it is those who put you down who need to change.  In addition to the re-enactment of my school days, during which that tri-teared message is continually reinforced, I also give students specific advice on how to handle what I call “elite tormentors,” the mean members of the cool crowd.   I conclude the presentation with an empathy exercise for students that brings my anti-bullying message home on a visceral and deeply personal level. 

Depending upon the size of the school/district, I can do one or two student presentations to accommodate all the students.  Bear in mind, the student presentations are age-appropriate and divided as follows:

K-4
6-8
9-12

Fifth graders can attend the elementary school or middle school age presentation.  It’s up to the discretion of the school which presentation they feel would be better suited for their particular fifth grade class.  Some schools are already experiencing pronounced, sophisticated forms of bullying at the fifth grade level and feel their fifth graders need a stronger, “big kid” approach.  Others are more comfortable with their fifth graders attending the elementary school presentation, which communicates the same basic message, but more softly and simply. It all depends upon the level of bullying in fifth grade at each particular school and what administration thinks will have the strongest impact. 

After the student presentation(s), I make myself available to do one-on-one sessions with any students who wish to speak with me. Typically, those students will include victims who want a sympathetic ear and “elite tormentors” who never realized they were cruel until they heard my talk, and now want my advice on how to make amends to their victims.

Teacher Workshop
I can enlighten the students and inspire them to be more compassionate, but if I don’t educate teachers on how to maintain that new level of empathy and tolerance in their students, then I’ve fallen short of my goal.  To that end, the teacher workshop is a comprehensive, ninety-minute (I can do it in an hour but prefer the extra thirty minutes for a question and answer period) presentation during which I offer specific strategies and initiatives along with scripted verbiage teachers can use with students. 

The workshop includes: what you should never say to a bullied student and why; what you should say and do; the two types of educators and how to determine which one you are and why this is important to know when dealing with a bullied child; the difference between authority and emotional credibility and how it can impact a students’ willingness to trust in you;  how the bully and the victim are flipsides of the same coin and how to assist both; the two types of bullying and why one is innocuous and the other dangerous; the two types of popular students; the typical profile of the bullied child; how to intervene with a bullied student one-on-one; how to intervene in a bullying situation with a group or in the classroom; programs that can be implemented institutionally that help to shift the social dynamic of the school from the inside out;  curriculum enhancements that provide teachers with creative new approaches for incorporating anti-bullying messages into established lesson plans and subject matter; why traditional punishment doesn’t always work and can even lead to incidents of school violence; a new form of discipline called Compassionate Discipline Driven by Curiosity that offers a creative, and effective alternative to traditional punishment; among other detailed information. 

I also share deeply personal insights such as: the worst mistakes my teachers made and how I wish they would have handled things differently; the most common complaints I hear from bullied students today, and what they want their teachers to know but don’t have the courage to tell them.  At the end of this workshop, teachers will have concrete knowledge about what to do to help both the bullies and the victims in their classrooms.  They will have scripted verbiage, specific strategies, easily implementable programs with guidelines and creative suggestions, and other valuable tools that only someone who was bullied and survived, and is working with thousands of other students who are going through the same thing she once did could provide.  This is an honest and exciting workshop that not only informs participants, but also celebrates their energy and commitment to youth.

Note on Teacher Workshop:  it’s strongly recommended all faculty members who will be attending the teacher workshop attend the student presentation first—when they hear for themselves what I went through and witness first-hand their students’ response to my story, it elevates their trust in me to another level and sets the tone for a richer workshop experience.
The Parent/Family Seminar
My objective is to impact students by also enlisting the informed support of those who have the greatest influence in their lives—their peers, their teachers, and of course, their parents.  The Parent/Family Seminar is a two-hour evening seminar open to the public.  The reason I like to keep it open to the public is that it generates wonderful PR for the school district and sends a message to the community that bullying prevention is everyone’s responsibility and not only our nation’s schools.

The Parent/Family seminar is divided into three parts: an annotated version of my student seminar during which parents not only experience what their children did earlier in the day but they learn how their children responded, thus sparking healthy parent/child dialogue; a comprehensive workshop describing the warning signs your child may be a bully or a victim, how to intervene successfully, how to deal with the parents of the bullies and/or victim, how to deal with the school, how to find and work with a qualified therapist, why some children are targeted by bullies more than others, how to spot the warning signs your child may be suicidal due to bullying or may be contemplating violence, where to turn for support, how to help your child create an interim social life until issues at school can be resolved, and other vital information.

I also share deeply personal insights about the mistakes my own parents made and how to avoid them, as well as what my parents did that worked and why.  I also reveal wonderful ideas that I’ve learned from other parents whom I’ve met working in schools across the country. Lastly, I do a book signing, which I typically arrange through whatever local bookstore the school district has a relationship with.  Afterwards, I stay and meet with any families who want time alone with me to talk.

We often get asked if this is an appropriate event for kids-not only is it appropriate for children but we encourage parents to bring their children. This event is rated PG.

Note on the Parent/Family Seminar: it isn’t only parents who attend this seminar—often Adult Survivors of Peer Abuse who live in the community will attend—many of them can be wonderful resources in the school district’s anti-bullying efforts.

A Sampling of Select Available Offerings
Note:  For pricing specifics please contact our office as pricing may vary, depending on time of year, duration of speaking engagement, among other considerations.

Outlined below are some package options we offer.  Bear in mind we can tailor Jodee’s presentations to fit your specific needs and focus.

Imagine that you’re walking down the street and suddenly, you fall into this deep hole, and can’t find the way out.   Two people pass by, hear your cries for help, and offer assistance: one is a renowned academic who specializes in the geo-thermal dynamic of holes,  wrote his doctoral thesis on escape routes, but has never actually been in a hole himself; the other is an ordinary person who  fell into the very same hole you did the week before, found his way out, and is offering to crawl back down inside, take hold of your hand and guide you out the same way; who would you choose to save you?  I’m that person.  While I support the valuable work of academics who have dedicated themselves to understanding bullying and its affects, and recognize their work as vital to the future of our children, what I do in schools is much different  than those who utilize empirical data and case studies as the building blocks of their solutions strategies. 

FOLLOW UP

Personal consultations by phone with Jodee for individuals and families are available by appointment.

Schools and organizations often schedule consulting hours when booking seminars and workshops.

For availability and consulting fees, please contact The Blanco Group.