Kids Fight Bullying Through Comic Strips

Through the end of November 2011, young people across the country can share ideas about how to prevent bullying by making their own comic strips through the “Stop Bullying: Speak Up Comic Challenge.”
Created by Cartoon Network and Bitstrips, the campaign gives kids a creative and novel way to add their voice to the national discussion on bullying.
“Students play a powerful role in stopping bullying. Bitstrips is a unique, creative way to give young people a strong, effective voice,” said Alice Cahn, Cartoon Network vice president of social responsibility. “We are delighted to be working with Bitstrips and Bitstrips for Schools to extend the reach of our Stop Bullying: Speak Up campaign.”
Accessible at StopBullyingComics.com, the “Stop Bullying: Speak Up Comic Challenge” enables anyone to make great-looking comics without having to draw. Kids start by turning themselves into a cartoon avatar, and then become part of a comic strip in which it’s up to them to resolve a bullying problem: What should they do if they see someone being bullied? What if they’re a victim, or even the bully? Kids finish the comic using their own ideas and words, and can share them in an online gallery.
“In all of the discussion about bullying in recent years, kids’ perspectives have generally been underrepresented,” said Bitstrips CEO Jacob Blackstock. “By introducing the subject through comics—a format kids love—we hope to really get them talking and thinking critically about what they can do to reduce bullying at school and in their social lives. We think that this initiative could be the start of something very big in that respect.”
Following Bullying Prevention Month, all the best entries will be published in a downloadable comic anthology.
Schools looking for a creative way to introduce bullying as a topic of discussion can enter the “Stop Bullying: Speak Up Comic Challenge,” too. Teachers can choose from eight bullying prevention activities and assign them to students through a secure virtual classroom. Finished comics can be shared by teachers in their own classroom gallery, where they can be read by other students, parents and the whole community.