In order to empower youth to create a kinder and braver world, we must begin by making sure that youth are safe. Youth are not safe when they are being bullied, harassed, or threatened. Thus, one of the first things that we must do to help youth be safe is combat the culture of meanness and cruelty that is at the root of bullying, peer violence, and abuse. Bullying is a systems problem and many well-intended people don’t realize the complexity of the issue. This document contains research-driven elements of bullying that should ground any discussion of how to address this complex issue.
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This paper is part of the Kinder & Braver World Project: Research Series.