STUDENT INFORMATION FOR NNCW

What is No Name-Calling Week?
No Name-Calling Week (NNCW) is an annual opportunity for students like you to discuss their experiences and feelings towards name-calling and bullying in schools. No Name-Calling Week 2012 will be held from January 23-27. Every year thousands of educators conduct NNCW activities in the classroom. What is your school planning for NNCW 2012?

Learn how to participate in NNCW by downloading the NNCW Fact Sheet and 10 Simple Ways to Celebrate NNCW on the NNCW Planning and Bullying Resources page.

Creative Expression
The Creative Expression Exhibit is an annual opportunity for you to submit your original artwork expressing your feelings and experiences with name-calling and bullying in your school. Enter your drawing, poems, essays, stories, paintings, songs, videos, sculptures and any other art form for a chance to win cool prizes and have your artwork featured on the No Name-Calling Week website!

Click here to download Entry forms and official rules

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What is Name-Calling and Bullying?
Name-calling is calling others mean names and labels. This can happen anywhere at school and can happen in private or in public. You have the right to be called the name you want, and to not be called hurtful or mean name.

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength. A student who is being bullied has a hard time defending themselves. Bullying can take many forms, such as hitting or shoving (physical bullying); teasing or taunting (verbal bullying); intimidation through gestures or social exclusion (nonverbal Bullying or emotional bullying); and sending insulting or threatening messages by phone or internet (cyber bullying)

What Can I do if I am Being bullied?
If you are being called names or bullied, remember the four ways to stay SAFE:

Say what you feel
Ask for help
Find a friend
Exit the area

What does SAFE mean?

Say what you feel
Telling a person who is bullying you or calling you names the way that their words or actions make you feel can be a great way to let that person know that you don't like what they are doing. You can start your sentence by saying something like "When you say/do ________ to me, it makes me feel ______." Being angry or sad when someone is bullying you is ok, and it is ok to let that person (or someone else) know what you are going through.

Ask for help
Sometimes you can handle name-calling and bullying yourself (possibly by using one of the other SAFE strategies) but sometimes you need to ask for help, and that's ok. If a person who is calling you names is making you feel scared that you might get hurt, you can talk to a teacher or other adult about what is going on. Asking for help is not about tattling - it's about taking care of yourself and staying safe.

Find a friend
Some people who name-call or bully others, often pick times and places when no one else is around because it makes them feel safer. That's why sometimes you can avoid or end a bullying situation just by finding another person or people to be around or spend time with. Hanging out with people who make you feel good about yourself is important, and the person calling names might think twice before picking on you when you're with your friends.

Exit the area
While it might feel like you aren't doing anything at all, sometimes walking away from someone who is picking on you is the best way to end things. Some people who name call want you to get upset, and while it's perfectly normal to feel hurt, angry or sad if you are being called names, sticking around the person hurting you may just make things worse. So, if you can, find a way to exit the area where the name-calling or bullying is happening.