Have a question for us, or want to learn more about Not In Our School (NIOS)?
If you want to schedule a workshop, access resources, ask about the NIOS Video Action Kit, or get some advice about starting NIOS in your school? Here's how to get in touch:
Email Not In Our School at: info [at] niot [dot] org
Other ways to get in touch:
The Working Group / Not In Our Town
P.O. Box 70232
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 268-9675 ext 305
Fax: (510) 268-3606
Join the NIOS Facebook Education Group:
For updates, information, and/or to hear what others are doing with NIOS, go to the Not In Our School Facebook Group and submit a request to join. We welcome the voices of youth and adults to engage in dialogue about education and ways to prevent and respond to bullying, hate and intolerance.
If you or someone you know is being bullied or harassed and needs immediate support:
not in our school
The NSLC group is composed of high school students. International students from American University's Discover the World of Communications summer program also participated in the activities. Photo.
This summer, NIOS presented at UC Berkeley to high school students from the National Student Leadership Conference and American University’s Discover the World of Communications summer programs. Students from around the U.S. and as far away as Dubai, Syria, Australia, Korea and China shared their insights and learned more about the bullying prevention work of Not in Our School.
In a NIOS campaign, the entire school community unites to say “NOT IN OUR SCHOOL” and communicate the principles behind it. While many effective programs and projects exist to end student bullying and improve school climate, NIOS offers a unique opportunity to link and amplify many unified voices working against intolerance and hate in campaigns across the country.
NIOS is not a cookie cutter program; it is a network of school-led initiatives that share common beliefs, but not prescribed activities.
Not In Our School (NIOS), a project of Not In Our Town, works with educators and students to not only respond to hate and bullying, but also to prevent it. NIOS is more than a program. It is a philosophy based upon the idea that safe and inclusive school environments are created when the entire community is aware of and takes action to address exclusionary or hurtful attitudes or acts that occur both in public and private.
Today we share with you one of our newest supporters, Katie, a 13-year-old from Glencoe, IL. We are so grateful to those who feel compelled to look behind the camera and support our work. We invite you to join Katie and donate to Not In Our Town.
This article, written by Dr. Becki Cohn-Vargas, originally appeared in the June/July 2012 California State PTA newsletter. Not In Our Town has partnered with CAPTA to work together to address bullying and intolerance in schools throughout California. Dr. Cohn-Vargas is the director of Not In Our School and an experienced educator.
We hear a lot about bullying, but do we ever stop to really think about what it is and the consequences of bullying? After all, isn't just kids being kids, a part of growing up? Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully among others may have serious, lasting problems.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. Bullying can affect people in many ways. Some may lose sleep or feel sick. Students may want to skip school. Some may even be thinking about suicide.
We here at Not In Our School would like to thank all of the students who submitted short films to the 2012 Not In Our School “What Do YOU Say?” Video Challenge. As an organization that produces and distributes documentary films, we were excited to see so many talented young cinematographers coming together to stand up against discrimination in their schools!
Two videos stood out for their original depiction of Not In Our School’s message of inclusion and respect. We are excited to award these students from South Carolina and Wisconsin for their films that positively encouraged students to be upstanders in the face of bullying.
How can we show you that you are not alone?
Written, produced, and filmed by Emily Marciniak, John Karolus, and Ben Wihelm, Grade 11, Antigo High School, Wisconsin. What Do YOU Say to Bullies?
Not In Our School wishes to thank all of the students who submitted artwork to the 2012 Not In Our School Class Actions Campaign Art Contest. We had more than 40 submissions this year from students all across the country!
All the pieces demonstrated the creativity and imagination of the artists who made them. Six students’ unique designs stood out for their ability to clearly translate the words “Not In Our School” into visually-striking images with a message of inclusion.
We are happy to award these six students for their inspired work and the commitment that they have made to stand up against bullying in their schools.
“No Bullying” by Zahir Rosa, Grade 5, Massachusetts
Competition was stiff for the 48 grant proposals. Proposals came from elementary, middle and high schools, not to mention a Catholic Diocese and a Jewish Yeshiva. Schools from the Northeast, South, Midwest, Southwest and Western United States all proposed impressive activities to make their schools more inclusive.
The hate group known as the Westboro Baptist Church has put Olympia High School on its picketing schedule, arriving tomorrow morning with its messages of hate.
When OHS Principal Matt Grant received the news, he began conversations with the school district and police. He met with students that wanted to craft a non-confrontational response. He also reached out to his colleagues through Not In Our School, receiving support and advice from successful counter-action organizers, such as educator Daisy Renazco, who supported her students when the WBC visited Gunn High School several years ago.
The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), a Topeka, KS-based hate group known for their anti-gay ideologies, begin their protests at the state capitol today, which is the deadline for opponents of marriage equality to turn in the signatures needed to put Washington’s marriage equality law up for a vote. Olympia Unity in the Community organizes a community response.