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Health & Fitness

Take a Stand Against Bullying on April 19, 2013- National Day of Silence

On April 19, 2013, students around the world will take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT behavior.

What does silence sound like? For many LGBT students, the sound of silence would be a welcome change to the endless name-calling and harassment they face every day.

GLSEN’s 2009 National School Climate Survey found that nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and more than 30% report missing at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal safety.

Imagine if that was your child?

On April 19, 2013, students around the world will take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT behavior. The Day of Silence is a student-led national event to end anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from middle school to college take a vow of silence to show their support and illustrate to their classmates, school administrators and school staff the silencing effect of bullying and harassment on LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT.

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This event isn’t solely for students; you too can get involved personally and in your communities by:

- Taking the vow of silence and signing the pledge here.

Find out what's happening in Bolingbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

- Encourage your friends, family and communities to get involved by linking to DayofSilence.org

- Follow the conversation on Twitter at #dayofsilence

- Get involved on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/NationalDayofSilence.

- Share a student video about the day: “Why Are We Silent?”  and “Join the movement online”

GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students, has also partnered with the Ad Council to create a new tool that tracks anti-LGTB slurs on Facebook and Twitter in real time. Help us eliminate these slurs and bring attention to the issue by embedding the counter on your blog and sharing with your viewers! See it here: ThinkB4YouSpeak.com.

For more information, go to: www.dayofsilence.org

 

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