Bullying
The Peace Rug helps children to handle bullying.

Bullying is a national problem.

Let's define it.  Bullying happens whenever someone's body, property or feelings are hurt or threatened and the other person won't stop what they are doing when asked. It may be physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual. Boys and girls can both be bullies - gender is not the issue. Sometimes it's one on one bullying - sometimes it's in a gang. But it's all about trying to have power over someone else. And no one likes to feel intimidated or powerless!

It is estimated that
more than 160,000 children stay home from school
everyday
because they are afraid of being bullied.

Bullying behavior is learned - from someone else. Research shows that many children who were once victims of bullying become bullies themselves. They begin to copy bullying behaviors, often going to extreme measures such as fighting and even shooting.

This negative behavior has to stop. Children cannot learn when they have a conflict with a classmate or feel threatened by a bully in school. And if bullying behavior isn't curtailed, children have even been so depressed they have committed suicide.

The Peace Rug helps children to handle bullying.

By using the special Peace Rug dialogue, a victim is on equal footing with the bully and is able to "find their voice" to speak up. This greatly empowers more passive children who tend to give in when they shouldn't. The dialogue also reveals to bullies how their behavior is hurting another person. Most of the time, this revelation leads to compassion and bullying behavior usually stops.

As an example, a smaller boy comes out of the restroom and is accosted by a larger one. He is threatened.. He knows he could get hurt but says, "I would like to invite you to come to The Peace Rug with me so that we can work it out." Since the entire school has learned how to use The Peace Rug, they agree to go and the problems among them are solved. They may not be good friends but they respect each other now. And that is better than living in fear of being bullied again and again!