THE NASS Valley will be part of a pilot program for an anti-bullying training for police officers to teach to students.
The Bullying Prevention Program, developed by the RCMP and University of Victoria researchers, is called Walk Away, Ignore, Talk it Out and Seek Help, (WITS), which are all skills young children can use to deal with bullying, and was announced in a release Feb. 29.
“The primary goal of the program is to create communities that are responsive to the prevention of peer victimization and bullying,” said Sgt. Donovan Tait, detachment commander of Lisims/Nass Valley RCMP.
“The trained RCMP officers will play a central role in assisting school staff, parents, and community leaders in taking a unified approach to reducing bullying in their communities.”
“The RCMP recognizes that specialized skills are required to work with youth at risk. Youth officers receive training that ensures they are fully prepared to deal with the many issues facing youth today,” said Tait, adding that Const. Vanessa Demerchant has done the WITS training.
The news of the pilot program is perfect timing for members of the Lisims/Nass Valley RCMP, who have several events planned in the schools for Anti-Bullying week, February 27 - March 2, he added.
"We work closely on a daily basis with school counsellors and the staff of [the school district.] We are committed to focusing in on this important issue for the students and the community as a whole. We are very pleased and thankful that our little area of the world was selected for this program."