As National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month comes to a close, experts are reminding Virginians to be aware of the patterns within bullying.

One in five students reports being bullied, and one in six has been cyberbullied, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Virginia has anti-bullying laws at schools, but they don't apply to incidents off-campus, which often is where cyberbullying takes place.

Jan Helson, co-founder of Global Game Changers Children's Education Initiative Inc., a nonprofit children's education initiative focused on social-emotional learning, said building confidence and empathy are keys in helping to prevent bullying.

"If you build a child's core, where they feel confident about themselves and who they are, and have empathy for others," she said, "then it helps to avoid bullying in the first place."

In the 2019 Virginia Youth Survey, almost 23% of high-school students reported having been bullied, often for their race or secual orientation. Research has found these students are at higher risk for depression, anxiety and sleep problems, lower academic achievement and higher dropout rates.

According to the CDC, almost 14% of public schools report that bullying occurs daily or at least once a week. Studies show anti-bullying programs decrease bullying by 20%. But no matter the approach, Helson said, she finds it's important that kids remain in dialogue with parents and teachers.

"Whether it's a teacher communicating with students, or whether it's a parent communicating, it's to really stress the importance of opening up that dialogue, and providing your child a safe space and looking for those signs," she said, "whether they are the victim or the bully, and parents have to be open minded to both sides of that."

Last year, the STOP Bullying Act was introduced in the U.S. House. It would require all states to establish a task force to study, address and reduce bullying in elementary and secondary schools. The bill has been stuck in committee. It has no sponsors among the Virginia delegation.

Helson said a bully's own insecurities are often the root cause of their actions. She said she thinks considering the inner life of a bully can be insightful.

"Also, the bully. What is it about their background? I think having children understand and have empathy that maybe that bully has something going on in their life that they have no control over," she said. "It's a way of them feeling like they have control of something, making them feel bigger than others."

Accepting a bully's behavior isn't the same as empathizing with them, Helson said. It can provide a means for potentially breaking down barriers with a bully.

A new report offers some solutions for at least 119,000 young people in Connecticut who are described as being "disconnected" from work or school.

"Disconnection" means they have either dropped out or are close to dropping out of school. It also applies to young people ages 18-26 who are unemployed or unemployable.

Kate Dias, president of the Connecticut Education Association, said the state making college a priority beyond high school may be a worthy goal but it has also contributed to the disconnection issue.

"We've heavily invested in college as a solid vehicle for post-high-school endeavors," Dias observed. "I think one of the spaces that we need to continue to evolve is the idea that there's a lot of opportunities post-high school."

She added building up opportunities for students to see other pathways will help, including apprenticeships and alternatives to college. The overall goal of the "Young People First" plan is to get 60,000 at-risk and disconnected youth, ages 14-26, back on track by 2035.

The report, from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said having so many disconnected young residents costs the state about $750 million annually. It estimated implementing the entire plan would cost between $600 million and $700 million, combining some new spending with leveraging existing resources. Dias acknowledged doing big things requires big "asks."

"We're going to need to look at our state-level leaders and ask them to make an investment," Dias explained. "Connecticut has resources. There are monies on the table, and we have to remember government exists for the sole purpose of supporting community, and this would be a fundamental opportunity to do that."

Dias pointed out teachers would play a big part in the plan, since they can shape curriculum and how students are prepared for life after high school. Along with building networks with different professionals, she argued it is important for young people to see there are different versions of success.

"Part of our responsibility as educators is to ensure we understand the world we're bringing these students into," Dias asserted. "If we need to learn more, that we do so. And I think, by and large, educators tend to embrace; I mean, we are learners at heart, so we tend to embrace the opportunities to learn more and do more with our students."


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Today is National Daughters Day and for one Utah teenager, the title only seemed like a dream until recently.

Lilyauna Coffey, 19, lives in Salt Lake City. She spent nine years in the foster care system looking for her forever home and family. It was just last year her dream became reality.

Jessica Coffey said she and her husband Sam temporarily took Lilyauna in as she was waiting for an initial adoptive family to be ready. But after not having "clicked" with the family, Jessica said Lilyauna wanted to stay with them.

"When her adoption worker, that does work with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, called us and was like, 'Hey, you know, Lilyauna was wondering if you guys would adopt her?' We already were ready to say yes," Coffey recounted. "What was supposed to be like two weeks max, just turned into forever and it's been great."

Coffey stressed it is important for families looking to adopt to realize there are many teenagers looking for permanent homes. She noted being a teen is hard already and for those who lack the support, consistency and love of a family, entering adulthood can be overwhelming.

The latest state data show there are about 2,000 children in Utah's foster care system, with fewer than 600 adopted per year.

Rita Soronen, president and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, said when a judge permanently severs a child's relationship to their biological family, whether it be due to neglect or abuse, children are promised permanency. But about 20,000 children nationwide turn 18 each year and leave foster care without a family.

Soronen argued more must be done.

"That's why Wendy's Wonderful Kids programs -- for example, in Utah and across the nation -- are so critical to move those children to permanency," Soronen explained. "To minimize the trauma they've already experienced, and to move them toward a journey of healing with a family that can provide them the support and the care."

Soronen added what everyone strives for at the end of the day is a home, which she contended is evident in art and literature throughout American history.

"T.S. Eliot said, 'Home is where we start from,'" Soronen said. "Think of Judy Garland in the movie, right? 'There's no place like home, there's no place like home.' It is at the essence of who we are."

About 53% of high school students think voting is important, according to a survey out today from the nonprofit Youth Truth.

Researchers polled 115,000 American high school students, including Californians, on civic engagement and found 60% believe "helping others is important," but only 44% feel confident in their ability to make a difference.

Jennifer de Forest, interim vice president of Youth Truth, said 30% of students translate their intentions into meaningful action.

"They say, 'We don't know where to start,'" de Forest explained. "And that's the best-case scenario, because for many students, they've actually internalized the message that the system is broken, and that what they have to say doesn't matter."

Latino students report feeling the most disempowered. Only 26% have taken civic action and just 46% believe voting is important. Many students said they are more focused on academic success and college acceptance. But they say extracurriculars like scouting, band and sports do make them feel more civic-minded.

Kate Snow, coordinator of school climate for the Davis Joint Unified School District, which brought diverse student groups together for a youth empowerment workshop, said districts need to build young people's confidence in the importance of their voices.

"There's a link between how schools are engaging students and helping students see their own power and use their power, with how they see and use it in the public arena," Snow pointed out.

The report encouraged schools to promote the importance of voting and students getting involved in their community.