The following article is presented as part of the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities' "Conversations Toward A Brighter Future" discussion series.
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The articles are prepared by the participants of the discussion in their own words.
The Roxana Junior High School project “Stomp Out Drama”, is in its second year, and is off to a positive start. Our goal is to decrease
Social media conflicts (drama) in our school.
Below are some statistics to further illustrate this growing issue:
- 89.5 % of teenagers 11-15 years old report they have been harassed in some kind of way on social media resulting in a negative impact on their life.
- 68% of teens who use social media have witnessed people stirring up drama on social media platforms.
- 1 in 3 teens have been affected by social media drama giving them a conflict to deal with that resulted in a negative impact on their life.
- 31% of social media users have fought with a friend over something that occurred online. This ultimately resulted in a broken relationship which could have been avoided by not participating in drama in the first place.
- Girls are more likely than boys to say they witness the creation of drama on social media, 72% of girls and 64% of boys encounter drama on social media platforms.
Our S.M.A.R.T Goal (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Result Orientated, Timely). By the end of the 2016-17 school year we will have decreased the number of Office Discipline Referrals (O.D.R’s) related to social media drama by 50%.
The Brighter Future Team at Roxana Junior High School has implemented the following initiatives to address social media drama:
- Created a video depicting the appropriate use of social media.
- We will place the video on YouTube and show it throughout the school.
- Created a Facebook Page titled: Shells Stomp Out Drama
- Weekly posts on Facebook demonstrating the appropriate use of social media.
We are making it a priority at our school to bring awareness to the negative impact that verbal “put downs” have on peers of self-esteem. Peers are encouraged to think about what you type before you hit the keyboard and “Is what you’re about to say Helpful or Hurtful?” “Will it be a positive action or a negative action?” “How will this impact the person you are directing this post toward?”
- Try to motivate others and boost their spirits.
- Once you post something it is on the Internet forever and you can never take it back.
- Think before you post and by doing that social media conflict can be avoided.
- Implement the 4 Pillars, Respect, Dignity, Understanding and Forgiveness
We will learn to value all people for who they are as individuals.
Stomp Out Drama’s primary purpose is to decreased the number of office discipline referrals related to social media by 50% through the four pillars: Respect, Dignity, Understanding, and Forgiveness.
- iMovie
- Facebook Page
Post positive, affirming messages bases upon the four pillars.
- Forgiveness Cards
- Assembly
Evaluation of the project will include…
- Tracking Office Discipline Referrals with the reduction of 50%
- Implementing a student survey about bullying and safety to see if improvement has occurred
- Tracking the “likes” on Facebook and making sure to send a new post weekly
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