School Bullying Council

The majority of parents are worried their children will be bullied at school.
Source: Supplied

BULLIED children are turning to martial arts to combat classroom thugs – and coming out on top in other areas.

Sobukan Martial Arts director Chris Gillies, of Mitcham, said children who trained in martial arts learnt techniques to avoid bullying behaviour.

“A lot of the reasons people get bullied is they don’t have high self esteem or confidence,” he said.

“Martial arts give them confidence and the ability to walk away.”

Mr Gillies said that in his 20 years of teaching martial arts in Australia and Japan, he had taught many bullied children.

“Through martial arts, children become familiar with consequences, and they learn about power relationships,” he said.

Sixteen-year-old Angelo Belmonte, who has an intellectual disability, had been bullied in violent attacks his entire school life, until he started to learn the Korean style of tang soo do at the International Combative Martial Arts Academy in March.

His mother Pina Belmonte said the training had improved Angelo’s problem-solving, memory, balance and confidence.

“He hasn’t used the actual martial arts (at school), but it has helped his confidence,” she said.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/bullied-kids-turning-to-martial-arts/story-e6frea6u-1226213190372

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A lawsuit filed in Marion County Superior Court sheds light on a shake-up and alleged bullying at a nonprofit that mentors talented, at-risk youths.

The lawsuit targets the popular Starfish Initiative – a Marion County group that mentors more than 250 youths in 39 high schools.

“They do good work,” said former Starfish program director Jessica Fithen – the plaintiff in the lawsuit, “so it’s really hard to do this.”

Fithen is clinically obese and suffers from Chushing Syndrome, the symptoms of which include fat deposits on the neck. She wore hooded sweatshirts to disguise it at work. Fithen claims her apparel and weight became consistent targets of attack.

“Where does a person like you even get clothes?” the lawsuit alleges she was asked by a higher-up.

“To be so disrespected and so humiliated on a daily basis for months,” she recalled, “I had to go to the hospital, I didn’t know what to do.”

“I was experiencing panic attacks, vomiting in the bathroom, but I needed the paycheck,” the married mother of a disabled child said.

“Bullying by anyone is not to be tolerated,” said her attorney Molly Johnson.

The suit claims Fithen’s mother was ousted as the CEO of Starfish and that Fithen was then targeted when new leadership arrived. The lawsuit says new CEO Michael Feeney upped his salary by $45,000, which includes an expense account.

When contacted Monday, Feeney denied the pay increase but offered no proof to the contrary. Regarding the rest of the allegations, he said: “I can’t comment on something I don’t know about.”

Fithen, who has lost 41 pounds since leaving her job just a couple months ago, said overall, “I feel sad for the kids.”

http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/marion_county/popular-nonprofit-accused-of-bullying