09/18/2020
NECAC’s Roberts launches Pike County anti-bullying effort
For Chandra Roberts, bullying hit close to home, and she wants to help other parents keep it from escalating to violence.
When two of her children verbally threatened someone recently on social media, Roberts was swift to respond. With assistance of the Louisiana Police Department, the discipline included putting the kids behind bars for a few hours, just to show them what could happen if their actions went beyond words.
As Pike County Service Coordinator at NECAC, Roberts had already been working on an anti-bullying program. The incident involving family members prompted her to complete it at the urging of parents Rebecca Lawson and Traci Barranco and Corey Anderson of the Louisiana Police Department.
“We decided we needed to take things a step further and be more pro-active in the community about this issue,” Roberts said. “We put our heads together, came up with a plan and put it in place.”
The goal now is to work with schools, community groups and others interested in counteracting what she says is the hate that too often is spewed online. She received a unanimous endorsement Aug. 24 from the Louisiana City Council.
“The program is built to bridge the gap of misunderstanding between kids and teens where bullying is involved,” Roberts said. “Bullying can leave deep, long-lasting scars physically and emotionally. If it isn’t stopped, it can lead to serious consequences down the line.”
Parental permission is required for young people to participate in the program, which can be done one-on-one or in a group setting and could take up to 90 minutes. The kids meet and join in two experiments designed to show their similarities. They then ask each other pre-written questions designed to help everyone become more acquainted. From there, a team leader mediates issues which are raised. At the end, participants are challenged to do three good things for each other or people they know. Follow-ups will be made to make sure the tasks are done.
“In a way, it’s like pushing the good forward instead of sitting still in the past,” Roberts said.
Contributions will be accepted to help pay costs for materials and other needs. The program eventually hopes to expand by offering summer activities and opportunities for young people.
Roberts got social media attention across the world for having her kids locked up for being mean. Some of it was bad, but the overwhelming majority was positive.
“I would get hate messages on Facebook, but a simple push of the ‘block’ button cured that because ultimately they were doing to me what I was trying to stop my kids from doing, which was bullying,” she said. “If you don’t fuel their fire, it can’t explode.”
For more information, call Roberts at 573-324-2207 or visit the NECAC Pike County Service Center weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. She can also be reached via email at [email protected], on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/pikecountyantibullying/ or online at www.pikecountyanti-bullyinggroup.org
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Chandra Roberts, Pike County Service Coordinator at the not-for-profit North East Community Action Corporation (NECAC), speaks before the Louisiana City Council Aug. 24 about the agency’s new anti-bullying initiative. The council unanimously approved a resolution of support for the program.
