CNN featured the work of Not In Our School in their May 8 piece, "Bullying by peers has effects later in life. [1]" In the article, author Ashley Strickland writes that bullying "can no longer be considered a rite of passage that strengthens character."

The article refers to new research, specifically a recent study by Lancet Psychiatry, that found that adolescents who are bullied by their peers actually suffer from worse long-term mental health effects than children who are maltreated by adults.

CNN points to organizations like Not In Our School and Welcoming Schools that work to address and prevent bullying at the school and community level.

Not in Our School has the same mission to create identity-safe school climates that encourage acceptance. They want to help build empathy in students and encourage them to become "upstanders" rather than bystanders.

Their lesson plans and videos, viewed by schools across the country, include teaching students about how to safely intervene in a situation, reach out to a trusted adult, befriend a bullied child or be an activist against bullying. While the role of teachers, counselors and resource officers will always be important, peer-to-peer relationships make a big difference, said Becki Cohn-Vargas, director of Not in Our Schools.

These positive practices can help build self-esteem and don't focus on punishing bullies because the emphasis is on restorative justice: repairing harm and helping children and teens to change their aggressive behavior.

But it can't be up to the schools alone.

"What's really important is getting the public and the medical world to recognize bullying for what it is -- a serious issue," Cohn-Vargas said.

Read the article at CNN [1] and learn more about Not In Our School [2].