Bully Bob, seen here, was one of the props to help educate young people about bullying.
Bullying is an ever-present problem with our nation’s youth. Exacerbating the issue are social media sites, like Facebook, where “cyber-bullying” has become an epidemic. No matter how bullies choose to deliver their torment, bullying is a serious problem with dire consequences.
October is national anti-bullying month. In honor of that two martial arts studios in Warsaw, Relentless Martial Arts Academy and Fitness Center and Caudill’s ATA Black Belt Academy, have teamed up to educated kids on bullying.
On Saturday, Oct. 19, a bullying seminar for children ages six through 12 was held at Relentless Martial Arts Academy and Fitness Center. Led by Sensei Rachel Sumpter, kids were taught how to recognize bullying and how to deal with it. Sumpter used role-playing games and demonstrations to teach the kids about bullying.
There was also a guest speaker. He prefers to remain anonymous because he is a victim of bullying. The speaker offered some sound advice for the children.
The guest speaker urged the kids to tell an adult when they were being bullied or witnessed bullying. He stressed that bullying is a problem that needs to be stopped early in life.
“We have to stop bullies at your age before they get to be [adults],” he said.
There will be several anti-bullying follow-up classes. One on Oct. 21 from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Relentless Martial Arts Academy and Fitness Center, and another on Oct. 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Caudill’s ATA Black Belt Academy.
For more information contact Rachel Sumpter at 574-707-5673 or [email protected] or Robert Lee with Caudill’s ATA Black Belt Academy at 574-551-7289 or [email protected].