The Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau is developing a new national bullying prevention campaign designed to reach tweens—9- through 13-year-old youth—and the adults who shape their world. The campaign will launch in October 2003.

This multi-year public awareness and prevention effort is the largest campaign ever designed
to reach 9- through 13-year-old youth to help prevent bullying. The Campaign will include advice from young people, public service announcements, online materials, bullying prevention resource kits, and a national launch event. It will employ a cast of animated characters to depict bullying scenarios and their resolutions in entertaining “Webisodes” on the Web site. The characters also will appear in the public service announcements.

The Campaign messages will be developed based on up-to-date research on bullying and
will be culturally sensitive relevant to the target audiences.

The Campaign also will include outreach to a variety of potential partners, including educators, community-based organizations, and media representatives.

HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This project is part of the congressionally funded National Youth Media Campaign.

To learn more about this effort, contact Captain Stephanie Bryn, HRSA’s director of injury and violence prevention programs, at
(301) 443-6091 or e-mail Sbryn@hrsa.gov.