February 2009

TCC’s Social Norming Campaign at North High School

By Pearl Bell

For the past four years The Conflict Center has been involved in a Social Norming Campaign at North High School to reduce bullying. Every year we do a school wide survey with students to determine the new and current norms in bullying.  At the beginning of the campaign, students reported that they did not bully but that they thought other students did.  For example, most students reported that they did not “hit, push, or shove” other students.  However, most students thought that the majority of other students did “hit, push, or shove” other students. 

          

Our goal throughout the campaign is to change their perceptions about other students’ behaviors in order to use positive peer pressure to influence them to reduce their own bullying behaviors.

          

This year at North we have engaged the North High Student Art Club as our allies in messaging. They have been instrumental in helping us conduct outreach to the students and designing

our posters with messages that appeal to that population. 

          

As we begin our fourth year we have put up two messages. Our first was:  Most North Teens Respect Other’s Race and Religion.  This was based on the statistics from the survey stating that 77% of North High students don’t use racial or religious name calling.

 

And our second was:  George Lopez doesn’t block exits and neither do North High Teens! This was based on the statistics that 76% of North teens don’t block exits, invade someone’s space, or restrain movements. 

          

With the Art Club’s involvement this year at North, we look forward to this year’s campaign being a huge success.