WAXHAW, N.C. -- A martial arts school held an anti-bullying seminar for children and adults on Saturday.
- With the seminar at Uplevel Martial Arts, school instructor Ben Bond wanted to teach people ways to identify, prevent and stop bullying
- During the seminar, participants also learned the steps to take if the bullying turns into an assault
- The event was free but organizers asked attendees to bring in supplies to donate to schools
With the seminar at Uplevel Martial Arts, school instructor Ben Bond wanted to teach people ways to identify, prevent and stop bullying.
“It’s a huge problem. People have been bullied for ages. It’s just getting worse. I was bullied when I was in school. Even adults deal with bullies on a regular basis,” Bond said.
He said he knows firsthand how hard bullying can be for someone.
“On a personal level, it diminishes your sense of being. It brings down your confidence. We want to make sure that we help our students and everybody develops their confidence, not become a victim,” Bond said.
For parent Scott Allen, it was important to bring his two sons for this valuable lesson.
“We don’t want them to think it’s a normal thing and to recognize it and to let us know when it’s happening,” Allen said.
His 12-year-old son, Jackson, said the seminar can help him deal with bullies if they come around this upcoming school year.
“If you do get bullied, it’s not going to be that big of a deal, if you know how to handle it,” Jackson said.
Amanda DeCarlo who attended the event with her younger sister, Sophia, said as an adult, she also took away a valuable lesson.
“Talking about where the bully is coming from, was a part that really took out of it so thinking about if they are saying that to you, maybe there is something is going on with them as well. Thinking about it that way versus thinking they are just mean,” DeCarlo said.
During the seminar, she also learned the steps to take if the bullying turns into an assault.
Bond recommended people to raise your voice and tell the attacker to stop, which would alert others about the issue.
The event was free but organizers asked attendees to bring in supplies to donate to schools.