WIESBADEN, Germany - More than 60 Soldiers and parents joined the anti-bullying effort at Wiesbaden Middle School Oct. 17. They came to share their personal experiences and invite students to make the "SAVVY Commitment."
"SAVVY stands for Students Against Violence and Victimization of Youth," said Dr. Frankie Nielsen, the program's originator and a counselor at the school.
The volunteers turned out in force to help promote non-violence, respect, kindness, courtesy and honesty, Nielsen said, explaining that rather than featuring a school-wide assembly, the program provided an intimate learning experience.
"I don't think kids learn by sitting in a gym and listening to a lecture," Nielsen said.
Instead volunteers were paired up with small groups of five to eight students.
"In the small groups, the volunteers are really able to have a conversation -- to engage the students in a respectful, non-threatening environment," said fellow Wiesbaden Middle School counselor Evie Walls.
"It went very well," Walls said. "There were good responses and good dialogue. … It really gives the students something tangible. I love it when the Soldiers share some of their own personal experiences."
Walls related how one Soldier during a previous SAVVY event told students that one of his biggest regrets while growing up was being a bully at school.
While the Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe have "a very strong anti-bullying program," the SAVVY Commitment Day puts a local spin on encouraging youths to avoid violence in their daily lives, Nielsen said.
After welcoming the volunteers to the school and instructing them on the basics of interacting with the students, the Soldiers and parents were invited into the various classrooms to engage youths in the small group settings. Part of the effort was "addressing the early seeds of violence" - the violence continuum - behavior and actions that could lead to violence at a later date, Nielsen said.
"Most kids agree, 'we know if we fight we'll get suspended,'" she said. But the point of the SAVVY lesson is that such things as pushing, bullying and trash talk are equally harmful and could ultimately one day evolve into violent crime.
In addition to asking the students to take the SAVVY Pledge and providing them with a wallet-sized card featuring the SAVVY rights and responsibilities, students were asked to draw their hands signifying that "hand-in-hand we join together to stop the violence," Nielsen said.
All of the Wiesbaden Middle School students signed the pledge, she said.
"The main thing is -- this is not a one-shot deal," said Walls. "We'll do follow-up activities throughout the year. Last year we held an essay contest. We may do something similar this year."
Asking the students to provide an anonymous reflection of the climate and where "hotspots" might be will also help school counselors, teachers and administrators focus in on any potential trouble areas, Walls said.
"I can't stress enough how significant it is to have our military community stopping to say how important this is," said Nielsen. "We had every rank represented."
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