Youth Commissioners collaborate with community partners to host the rally on January 15, 2013

Fulton County Youth Commission members are beginning 2013 with an Anti-Bullying and Violence Prevention Rally on the 84th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  The Rally will be held on Tuesday, January 15, 2013, from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Martin Luther King Center Auditorium at 449 Auburn Avenue in Atlanta.  The Rally is being held in partnership with the Metro Atlanta Violence Prevention Project (MAVPP), HOT 107.9 and the Music Education Group to continue to raise awareness of the damaging effects of bullying on schools and communities.

According to the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, a nationwide survey reported the following facts:

• In a 2011 nationwide survey, 20% of high school students reported being bullied on school property in the 12 months preceding the survey.

• An estimated 16% of high school students reported in 2011 that they were bullied electronically in the 12 months before the survey.

• During the 2009-2012 school years, 23% of public schools reported that bullying occurred among students on a daily or weekly basis; a higher percentage of middle school students reported bullying than high school students.

The Anti-Bullying and Violence Prevention Rally is part of a continuing effort on the part of the Youth Commissioners to educate their peers on bullying and violence prevention.  They carried their anti-violence message to 4,920 Fulton County students in 2012.  Youth Commissioners began the campaign in September 2010 just prior to the beating death of Bobby Tillman in November 2010.

The Rally is free with registration.  Refreshments and entertainment will be provided for those who confirm their planned attendance at www.BullyingIsNotHot.eventbrite.com .  For more information, citizens may contact Reginald Crossley, Youth Commissioner Coordinator, at 404-612-7386 or reginald.crossley@fultoncountyga.gov.

Each year, approximately 25 Fulton County students in grades 8-11 are invited to join the Fulton County Youth Commission after a rigorous selection process of essay submissions and interviews. Youth Commissioners communicate with other youth and local government leaders to increase awareness of serious issues facing Fulton County’s children, youth and schools.