Bullying Prevention Month: Love & Belonging Playbook

October is more than a ribbon on the calendar—it’s a runway for schools and youth clubs to build a culture where every student feels safe, seen, and supported. This belonging-first playbook translates the month’s momentum into year-round routines that reduce bullying and elevate student voice, with practical links to Believe in Me’s Five Pillars of Caring—and to two partner initiatives that extend the impact beyond campus: Cougs 4 Kids, which mobilizes community champions, and iLevelUP, our youth-centered guidance platform.

Bullying Prevention Month is the nationwide October campaign that brings schools, families, and communities together to prevent bullying and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.

Quick Start—Pick Your Path

What Bullying Prevention Month Means (and Why It Matters Now)

Awareness days spark participation; belonging sustains change. October’s observances—often marked by blue or orange shirts, assemblies, and pledges—are powerful collective signals. But the biggest payoff comes when those moments kick off a simple cadence schools can keep after the posters come down. This guide gives you the how: a lightweight measurement routine, student-led clubs, and repair-focused responses that align with the Love & Belonging and Education Pillars at Believe in Me.

Why a “Love & Belonging” Lens Reduces Bullying

Bullying thrives where students feel disconnected and unseen. A belonging lens flips the script: strengthen relationships and student agency, and conduct begins to follow culture. Instead of leading with rules alone, you’ll design connection into the week—through check-ins, peer leadership, and safe reporting—so students experience dignity and accountability at the same time. On campus, that looks like:

Clubs that normalize inclusive leadership and upstander skills.
Short, reliable belonging pulses that guide small improvements every month.
A report-to-repair flow that responds quickly and restores community when safe to do so.
Family pathways that clarify “who to tell, how to tell them, and what happens next.”

Belonging is the prevention layer; consequences still exist, but they don’t carry the whole load.

The Love & Belonging Playbook (10 Steps for Schools & Clubs)

Pro tip: If time is tight, start with Steps 2, 6, and 7. Collect a baseline, schedule one weekly builder, and publish your reporting flow. Momentum will follow.

Rules-First vs. Belonging-First: What Changes?

Dimension	Rules-First Discipline	Belonging-First Prevention
Core aim	Stop misconduct	Grow connection to reduce misconduct
Student role	Comply with adult rules	Co-design norms; lead peers as upstanders
Adult role	Enforcer	Relationship-builder and coach
Common practices	Detentions, zero-tolerance, assemblies only	Weekly builders, student clubs, circles, repair
What you measure	Incident counts	Belonging pulse + incidents + repair outcomes
Equity impact	May widen gaps if applied unevenly	Centers dignity, voice, and cultural safety

A belonging-first approach doesn’t “go soft.” It makes prevention the front door and repair the response—so consequences sit inside a coherent, human framework.

Measure, Report, Repair: Make It Stick

Measure. A four-item pulse takes minutes and gives you a directional read each month. Supplement with a fuller climate survey once or twice a year, then compare results by grade level and identity groups to spot inequities early.

Report. Publish a compact dashboard for staff, students, and families. Treat it as a learning log, not a marketing ad—highlight what’s improving and what needs work. Transparency builds trust.

Repair. When harm occurs, respond quickly and document actions. Where safety allows, use restorative conferencing and supported apologies; where not, ensure protective measures and adult follow-through. In all cases, close the loop: “We heard you; here’s what we did; here’s what happens next.”

Bring Families and Community In

Families want to help but often don’t know where to begin. Publish a plain-language family help path with three pieces: 1) the difference between conflict and bullying, 2) how to report concerns, and 3) what to expect from the school within a set timeframe. Host a short evening session led by students to showcase upstander skills and your reporting flow.

Community partnerships convert belonging from an initiative into a habit. Cougs 4 Kids is a great on-ramp for Pacific Northwest schools: it invites fans, alumni, and local businesses to invest in youth empowerment while engaging student-athletes in service. Those relationships can underwrite clubs, recognition events, and safe-space resources on campus.

Connect to iLevelUP: Guidance That Extends the Work

Bullying prevention and post-secondary readiness are two sides of the same coin: students who feel they belong are more likely to explore pathways, persist, and thrive. iLevelUP, our youth-centered guidance platform, helps students identify interests, plan courses, discover scholarships, and practice decision-making with a supportive mentor voice. Counselors can weave iLevelUP into advisory or club time, reinforcing the same relational routines that keep kids safe. When students see a future that fits, day-to-day choices shift—and school becomes a place that invests in their next step.

Localize the Playbook

This guide is designed to work anywhere, but we’ve built it with a Washington/PNW heartbeat. If you’re in Spokane, Seattle, Pullman, or rural districts across the region, Believe in Me can help you tailor the pulse items, connect with Cougs 4 Kids supporters, and line up sponsors for student-led showcases. Outside the PNW? Use the same ten-step cadence and adapt the partner layer with local businesses, alumni networks, or youth-serving nonprofits in your area.

Keep Momentum Beyond October

The month’s end is your checkpoint, not your finish line. Debrief with your design team: Which belonging builders did students love? Where did the reporting flow bog down? What stories best illustrate change? Publish the next three months of actions, keep the pulse going, and add one new routine at a time. As practices compound, climate shifts from performative to authentic—and bullying loses oxygen.

Bullying Prevention Month FAQs

When is Unity Day in 2025?

Unity Day is typically the third or fourth Wednesday in October; many US districts are observing Oct 22, 2025, while some note Oct 15—confirm with your district. Wear orange.

What is World Day of Bullying Prevention and when is it in 2025?

It’s the first Monday of October; in 2025 that’s Oct 6 (wear blue).

Does belonging actually reduce bullying?

Research associates higher school belonging with lower bullying involvement and better mental health outcomes.

What quick survey can we use to track belonging?

Use ED’s EDSCLS or a simple 4‑item pulse (e.g., “People at my school care about me”), then iterate monthly.

What’s the difference between conflict and bullying?

Bullying is repeated, intentional harm with a power imbalance. StopBullying.gov provides clear definitions and roles.

How do we respond to incidents without shaming?

Adopt a report‑repair flow: quick reporting, timely adult follow‑up, and restorative conferencing when safe. Use federal guidance to underpin policies.

Where can we get classroom activities for NBPM?

PACER’s month‑long student kits and Unity Day guides are free and K‑12 friendly.

How common is bullying right now?

CDC reports about 1 in 5 high schoolers experienced on‑campus bullying in the past year, and more than 1 in 6 experienced cyberbullying.

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About the Author

Julie Wukelic

Julie Wukelic, MBA, is a survivor of domestic violence who defied the odds by pursuing her education while raising three children. With a degree in Finance and an MBA from Washington State University, she now serves as the Chief Change Maker at Believe in Me - Foundation for Kids, where she utilizes her skills to make a difference in the lives of children. Julie's passion for equipping the right people with technology and streamlined processes drives her to ensure effective impact. Her resilience, love for challenges, and unwavering dedication make her a remarkable individual committed to creating a better future for children in her community.