Bullying is such a serious and complex issue that we, as community members, need to move beyond awareness in order to learn ways to address it more effectively. The Ottawa Bullying Prevention Coalition is made up of service providers and stakeholders from across private and professional sectors as well as geographic locations in Ottawa. Key partners include Ottawa Public Health, Ottawa Police, Ottawa School Boards, CHEO, Community Health and Resource Centers, and many more. They recently received three year funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to establish city-wide standards and approaches from which to support a continuum of meaningful, consistent and sustainable services. Broadly speaking, the Coalition will build the capacity of community members to address bullying, coordinate collaborative initiatives, and put research into practice. More specifically, the priority areas of the Coalition are to:

• Create an inventory of evidence based tools and approaches to prevent, intervene and respond to bullying
• Build a website to coordinate accessible and equitable access to community information and services across Ottawa
• Identify and accommodate distinct community needs
• Provide external support for schools and extra-curricular activities
• Build family capacity to report, support and respond in situations of bullying

Bullying is not just a school issue but a community issue that requires city-wide strategies to support all those impacted. Our vision is a safe, respectful and caring community that fosters healthy relationships for all. If you are interested in finding out more about the coalition contact Angela Lorusso at Lorusso@wocrc.ca.