a strategy to bring about change in bullying situations where a targeted student is made to feel helpless or inferior

A key strategy to bring about change in bullying situations where a targeted student feels helpless or inferior is to empower the targeted student by encouraging assertiveness and self-confidence. This approach helps address the power imbalance inherent in bullying, allowing the student to stand up for themselves and reduce feelings of helplessness and inferiority. Interventions can also include teaching social skills like friendship-building, empathy, and anger management in one-on-one settings, along with providing strong support from adults and peers to ensure the student feels safe and understood. Other effective strategies involve mobilizing bystanders to support the targeted student, which can create a supportive environment that deters bullying. Role- playing responses, fostering mental toughness, and teaching students to remain calm and non-reactive to verbal bullying can also help shift the power dynamic away from the bully. Encouraging the student to report incidents and ensuring adults take the reports seriously and maintain confidentiality is crucial as well. Thus, the most impactful approach is a combination of empowering the targeted student with assertiveness and self-confidence while providing external support through peers and adults who intervene appropriately to create a safe and inclusive environment.