Resources for Parents
Given the current environment, children may feel additional stressors, anti-Muslim sentiment or bullying. Here are some resources for you, your children, and their educators and coaches.
The FYI’s Bullying of Muslim Youth Report
Due to an increasingly divisive socio-political climate, bullying of American Muslim children and adolescents is on the rise and occurs across various contexts within their lives. The pervasiveness of bullying places American Muslim children at risk for poor mental health and development and increased engagement in risk behaviors. They also face challenges integrating into larger societal structures due to public devaluation of Islam and their minority status (Sirin & Fine, 2008). These challenges create an atmosphere in which American Muslim children and adolescents may feel misunderstood and isolated in different settings in their lives. They are often hard-pressed to understand the anti-Muslim sentiment in the broader geopolitical setting and feel powerless as agents of change, which can have drastic effects on their outcomes (Britto, 2008).
Given the challenges that American Muslim youth face, it is imperative to intervene from multiple avenues to buffer the impact of bullying and harassment. There is a growing recognition that those interested in supporting American Muslim youth development are often not equipped to provide the support that they need. To address this gap, this report (1) summarizes the research findings on bullying experiences of American Muslim children and (2) briefly provides recommendations and strategies for supporting their development.
Download the report to continue reading
Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth Cope After a Disaster or Traumatic Event from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Children and youth can face emotional strains after a traumatic event such as a car crash or being witness to or experiencing violence. This tip sheet will help parents, caregivers, and teachers learn some common reactions, learn how to respond in a helpful way, and know when to seek support.
Jameelah is a confident middle schooler who has recently faced bullying at school. She doesn’t know if she should tell her parents or teachers and is not sure what to do. How do you know if your child is being bullied? What is the percentage of bullying incidents against American Muslim youth? Learn the answers to these questions in more as we follow Jameelah’s story and her experiences with bullying at school.Click here to watch the video ->
Six Ways to Better Your Relationship with Youth – An FYI Original Video
Did you know that young people with mentors are less likely to engage in risky behaviors? Those with mentors are also more likely to have a better relationship with their parents, better communication skills, and higher self-esteem.
How to Talk to Your Kids About Bullying – A video produced by Mike Deike
While more than one in four children say they have experienced being bullied, only 20-30 percent of those children ever report it to an adult. The startling statistic can be troublesome for parents, leaving many wondering how to know if their child is being bullied and what they should do about it.
Click here to watch the video ->
Impacts of Bullying on Muslim Kids – An FYI Original Infographic
55% of Muslim students have reported that they have been bullied because of their religion. This number is twice the national average! Even more concerning is that 1 in 4 of those incidents was by school teachers, administrators, or staff! Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 91% increase in hate crimes against Muslims. These numbers are heartbreaking, concerning, and are a call to action.
Click here or on the image to the right to learn more about the impacts of bullying on Muslim kids. Where does it occur? What can we do to help? This infographic uses research and data-driven information to bring the issue to life.
Additional Resources for Parents
Know what it looks like when your child is being bullied
Worried that your child is a bully? Read this article to learn about what is really behind the bullying behavior and how to teach him/her to have healthy relationships
Learn about how bullying impacts your child but also everyone around him/her
How can you respond?
Learn what to say and what NOT to say when your child experiences bullying
Recognize these misconceptions about bullying so that you don’t fall into the trap of minimizing the effects of this behavior
Follow this flowchart to help you to determine if the behavior is bullying or not
Every bad interaction is not bullying. Check out this article to understand the difference between teasing and bullying
Avoid blaming your child for their experiences
Empower, uplift, and promote resilience in your child so they can power through and grow from their experiences
If the bullying is based on religion (i.e. Islamophobic incidents), make sure to report this behavior to CAIR
Read more about how one mother helped her daughter overcome cyberbullying
Resources for School Administrators
Strategies for Educators, Counselors and Community Members to Build Protective Factors for America’s Muslim Youth
This webinar focused on strategies to help participants create protective factors and pro-social opportunities for our nation’s Muslim youth. Presenters discussed adolescent development, positive youth development, and how to create safe and accepting academic and community environments for Muslim youth. The training will include methods for strengthening protective factors on an individual, peer, and community level for Muslim youth. Dr. Sameera Ahmed of The Family and Youth Institute was joined by Robert Butts, LaMont Lyons, Dr. Richard Kreipe, and Deepa Bhandaru.
Dr. Kreipe discussed normative adolescent development and positive youth development. Dr. Ahmed shared protective factors in the individual, peer, and community realms for Muslim youth, Mr. Lyons and Mr. Butts talked about how they, as school administrators have been able to create a safe and accepting academic environment, and Ms. Bhandaru, discussed how to engage and work with Muslim youth in an after-school program setting.
There are also handouts and copies of the powerpoints used in the presentation on the top right corner of the webinar platform. Click here to watch the video ->
Helping Educators and Counselors Prevent Bullying of and Discrimination against our Nation’s Muslim Youth from The Office of Juvenile Justice
In this webinar (recording) The Family and Youth Institute collaborated with Department of Education, Department of Justice, Department of Health & Human Services, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to discuss civil rights, bullying and harassment, basic cultural competence, behavioral health implications of bullying, and resources for assisting America’s Muslim youth.
Click here to view or read the transcript ->
The Role of the Educator in Protecting Muslim Youth from StopBullying.Gov
Classrooms and schools should provide learning environments that are not only free from discrimination and harassment based on protected traits—including religion—but should also be conduits for students to build bridges with other students across different backgrounds, break down stereotypes, acknowledge and affirm important aspects of their identity, and learn how to be an ally when faced with bullying and bias.
Bullying Prevention Guide from Islamic Networks Group (ING)
As Muslim parents and social activists work to create a better society and world for our children, ING created this Bullying Prevention Guide as a tool for parents, teachers, school administrators, and community members in the hope that it will help prevent the bullying of students in public and private schools, including full-time and weekend Islamic schools.
Know Your Classmates
Know Your Classmates is a curriculum, a campaign, and a national awareness day designed to create and nurture healthy and open relationships between classmates, particularly focused on middle school students, from the moment school starts this fall.
Know Your Classmates (KYC) is an initiative of Beyond Differences’ aimed at combatting hateful language, anxiety, and fear of differences among middle school students. All children in our school communities are affected.
Twenty Plus Things Schools Can Do to Respond to or Prevent Hate Incidents Against Arab-Americans, Muslims, and Sikhs
Take Immediate Concerted Action • Undertake and coordinate activities according to a pre-established policy and action plan. • Treat all anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, or anti-Sikh incidents seriously. Issue public messages urging tolerance and restraint and pledge prompt full investigation, and action. • Report all hate incidents to the local police department. • Institute joint initiatives and partnerships with police departments, local officials, parent groups, and community-based organizations. Consider specific projects, such as rallies, forums, dialogues, and unity events, which give people constructive ways to express perspectives and concerns. • Gather and disseminate accurate and current information on hate incidents and any official actions taken.
Additional Resources for Educators
Follow this flowchart to help you to determine if the behavior is bullying or not
Here’s how to work with students to build a resilience mindset
How to promote a positive school climate
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying: How to Spot It and Stop It
As our children spend more time online, they are more susceptible to cyberbullying. Parents must be proactive to ensure their child’s safety online. Refer to the following resources for support:
Here are 10 steps adults can take to protect young people from cyberbullying
Be aware of how COVID-19 might be causing cyberbullying
Empower our kids to respond well to cyberbullying
Teach them about netiquette
Read more about how one mother helped her daughter overcome cyberbullying
Resources for Youth
Know Your Rights as a Muslim Youth at School from CAIR
Problems Muslim Student’s Face – Pulling of head covering • Pressure to convert to another religion • Insulting comments about Islam made in the classroom or at recess • Physical abuse
Click here to print pocket guide ->
Learn More about the Family & Youth Institute’s Bullying Prevention Resources
Bullying Prevention Report Bullying Prevention Video Bullying Prevention Infographic
If you found these resources useful, join our daily article e-mail list. The Family and Youth Institute seeks to provide research-based resources covering a wide range of topics including youth development, marriage, mental health and well-being, and parenting.