We are delighted to support and work with PREVNet for Knowledge Mobilization to promote relationships and eliminate violence through the Build Character, Build Success program.

As a for-profit company, we may be an unlikely partner and unique voice of support for this, but we are enthusiastic. Wynford is an employee engagement firm that creates business growth through employee reward, recognition and communication. We work with blue chip Canadian companies and have an established record of success. We are also a values-based corporation with an active commitment to corporate social responsibility, and are heavily engaged in the communities in which we operate.

We first came to know PREVNet through our shared passion to use our unique skills to contribute to the health and well-being of Canadian children and take an active role in violence prevention through character development. We are honoured to partner with them and you to bring this to your school.

Through our years of experience working with adults in the corporate world, we know that motivation works, and we know what works. We are excited to be able to translate that knowledge to working with kids to help motivate and engage them in the Build Character, Build Success program. This program is the first in Wynford’s new series of corporate social responsibility initiatives that seeks to support children and build healthy communities.

Sincerely,

Deborah Niven, President
www.wynfordtwg.com
1090 Don Mills Rd. Suite 301
Toronto, ON M3C 3R6
416.443.9696

---

Congratulations on beginning the very important journey of promoting healthy relationships and preventing bullying at your school. We are extremely excited about our partnership with Wynford and the opportunity to implement and apply rigorous research to the recognition campaign they have developed, and we have now augmented, that supports the Build Character, Build Success initiative. The program is designed to provide students with skills that underlie healthy relationships. With ongoing support, students are able to learn how to relate to others positively, be effective in achieving social goals, and use power positively, rather than negatively as in bullying.

As you know, bullying is a significant social problem. Over 1,100,000 Canadian school-aged children report being bullied at least once a week. And over 550,000 school aged children report bullying others at least once a week. Bullying is not a rite of passage. It is not a normal or expected part of childhood. It is a hurtful and aggressive act that we now know has lasting physical and mental health consequences. In extreme cases being bullied can lead to suicide.

The health and well being of both individuals and society are associated with the levels of antisocial activity within the population. Students who bully others often are more likely to engage in many forms of problem behaviour (e.g., delinquency, sexual harassment, dating aggression, substance use) compared to students who do not bully. There is an inter-generational link: parents who bullied in childhood are likely to have children who bully their peers. It is essential to intervene early to promote safe and healthy relationships in order to break the inter-generational cycle of using power and aggression to control and distress others.

Children develop the capacity to form healthy relationships from moment-to-moment learning experiences starting at birth. Children need warm and supportive relationships, as well as consistent messages and responses to support their healthy social development across all of the contexts in which they live, learn, work, and play. For the skills necessary to learn to read or to do mathematics, there is a step-by-step process that enables most children to acquire these skills. In comparison, the lessons for successful social interactions are much more complex: they require understanding of one’s own behaviours and emotions and the behaviours and emotions of other people. The others with whom children interact are highly variable and often unpredictable: even a single person varies from day to day in warmth, responsivity, and emotionality.

Finding solutions to bullying and creating a society where we stand up for one another is not easy, but together we can make a difference by becoming part of the solution and not part of the problem. We sincerely believe that this Build Character, Build Success recognition campaign may be a critical first step. Thank you again, for your participation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Wendy Craig Professor of Psychology, Queen’s University Scientific Co-Director, PREVNet

Dr. Debra Pepler Distinguished Research Professor, York University Senior Associate Scientist, Hospital for Sick Children Scientific Co-Director, PREVNet

Congratulations on beginning the very important journey of promoting healthy relationships and preventing bullying at your school. We are extremely excited about our partnership with Wynford and the opportunity to implement and apply rigorous research to the recognition campaign they have developed, and we have now augmented, that supports the TDSB Build Character, Build Success initiative. The program is designed to provide students with skills that underlie healthy relationships. With ongoing support, students are able to learn how to relate to others positively, be effective in achieving social goals, and use power positively, rather than negatively as in bullying.

As you know, bullying is a significant social problem. Over 1,100,000 Canadian school-aged children report being bullied at least once a week. And over 550,000 school aged children report bullying others at least once a week. Bullying is not a rite of passage. It is not a normal or expected part of childhood. It is a hurtful and aggressive act that we now know has lasting physical and mental health consequences. In extreme cases being bullied can lead to suicide.

The health and well being of both individuals and society are associated with the levels of antisocial activity within the population. Students who bully others often are more likely to engage in many forms of problem behaviour (e.g., delinquency, sexual harassment, dating aggression, substance use) compared to students who do not bully. There is an inter-generational link: parents who bullied in childhood are likely to have children who bully their peers. It is essential to intervene early to promote safe and healthy relationships in order to break the inter-generational cycle of using power and aggression to control and distress others.

Children develop the capacity to form healthy relationships from moment-to-moment learning experiences starting at birth. Children need warm and supportive relationships, as well as consistent messages and responses to support their healthy social development across all of the contexts in which they live, learn, work, and play. For the skills necessary to learn to read or to do mathematics, there is a step-by-step process that enables most children to acquire these skills. In comparison, the lessons for successful social interactions are much more complex: they require understanding of one’s own behaviours and emotions and the behaviours and emotions of other people. The others with whom children interact are highly variable and often unpredictable: even a single person varies from day to day in warmth, responsivity, and emotionality.

Finding solutions to bullying and creating a society where we stand up for one another is not easy, but together we can make a difference by becoming part of the solution and not part of the problem. We sincerely believe that this Build Character, Build Success recognition campaign may be a critical first step. Thank you again, for your participation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Wendy Craig
Professor of Psychology, Queen’s University
Scientific Co-Director, PREVNet

Dr. Debra Pepler
Distinguished Research Professor, York University
Senior Associate Scientist, Hospital for Sick Children
Scientific Co-Director, PREVNet