International Bullying Prevention Association 2011 Convention

NEWS RELEASE

New Orleans Will Host Gathering of International Bullying Prevention Experts

Conference Set for November 6-8, 2011

In the city that exemplifies resilience in the face of adversity – New Orleans, Louisiana – the International Bullying Prevention Association will bring together experts from around the world to examine “Bullying and Intolerance: From Risk to Resiliency.” The association’s eighth annual international conference features a stellar line-up of researchers and practitioners who are leaders in bullying prevention in schools.

Dr. Horacio Sanchez, author of A Brain-Based Approach to Closing the Achievement Gap, is a leading authority in emotional disorders and resiliency among children. His approaches have been the foundations of award winning mental health and educational programs. He has been a teacher, school administrator, Mental Health Director and Consultant to the Department of Educations in NC, PA, and other states.

Michael Kimmel is among the leading researchers and writers on men and masculinity in the world today. The author or editor of more than twenty volumes, he wrote the 1996 classic Manhood in America: A Cultural History, which was hailed as “the most wide-ranging, clear-sighted, accessible book available on the mixed fortunes of masculinity in the United States.” His most recent book, Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men, is a best-selling investigation of young people’s lives today, based on interviews with more than 400 young men, ages 16-26. Feminist pioneer Gloria Steinem found Guyland so insightful that she believes it “could save the humanity of many young men – and the sanity of their friends and parents.”

Anne Collier is a nationally known authority on youth and the Internet. As co-chair of the Obama administration's Online Safety & Technology Working Group, she helped direct and develop the 2010 report to Congress, "Youth Safety on a Living Internet." She is founder and executive director of Net Family News, Inc.; co-director of ConnectSafely.org; and co-author of A Parents' Guide to Facebook and MySpace Unraveled: A Parent's Guide to Teen Social Networking.

All three keynote speakers will address this year’s conference theme: “Bullying and Intolerance: From Risk to Resiliency,” with Ms. Collier facilitating a panel presentation on Digital Citizenship.

The conference will also include nearly forty workshop sessions, featuring leading authorities on bullying prevention such as Alice Cahn, Richard Chatham, Anne Collier, Stan Davis, Mia Docies, James Krause, Dr. Sue Limber, Larry Magid, Dr. Clarisse Nixon, Dr. Marlene Snyder, Lee Mun Wah, Nancy Willard, and Dr. Patti Agatston. Dr. Dan Olweus, a well-known and respected researcher considered by many to be the pioneer of modern bullying research, will also lead workshops and discussions.

In addition, the event will include “Bullying Prevention 101,” a day-long workshop where participants will learn specific techniques and strategies that will help them develop a great understanding of offline and online bullying behavior and learn practical ways to ensure that their schools have peaceful learning environments where positive and respectful behaviors are practiced.

The conference will take place at the Marriott New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 6-8, 2011. For more information about the conference, please visit the conference website at http://stopbullyingworld.org/index.php/conference/2011-conference-information.