Youth Matters Model

Because this theory, much like many others, was developed by middle-class white men, it can be difficult to apply it to more diverse and colorful populations because of the socioeconomic contrasts. When pertaining to a more urban based population, one must consider the added challenges many students and children face, because of them being a product of their disadvantaged socioeconomic background.
Practice Models Because bullying has become a social norm it is critical for us to understand this as a problem, in order to provoke prevention and intervention. One example of a practice model that addresses this issue is Youth Matters. Youth Matters is a school-based bullying prevention program which is based on theoretical constructs within the social development model (Bender et al., 2013). This model encompasses a combination of social control, social learning, and differential association theories (Bender et al., 2013). It suggests that bonding, belief in the shared values or norms, external constraints, and social, cognitive, and emotional skills, constrain the advancement of antisocial behaviors in children (Bender et al., 2013). These are addressed to aid children in solving problems. Lessons within the Youth Matters curriculum establish clear consequences for bullying and
aggressive behaviors, and teach children and young adults beneficial skills to improve social bonds and attitudes, and increase self-efficacy (Bender et al., 2013). Another practice model which could be effective when addressing this social issue is what Haeseler (2010) describes as School-Community Collaborative Initiatives.
This stresses the importance of the collaboration between schools and communities to combat the issue of bullying. Within this proposed model, Haeseler (2010) furthermore, stresses the importance of character education, friendship time, peer mediation, conflict resolution, peer monitoring, and alternative but effective anti-bullying programs. Haeseler (2010) states that community branches including law enforcement, outreach services, and civic organizations, are also vital in the collaboration for the anti-bullying
campaign. Within the aspects of these practice models and other implementations of prevention and interventions to address the social issue of bullying, Social workers play a vital and necessary role. They are critical because of their therapeutic practices, which engage students in open communication of their thoughts and feelings through individual and group sessions. Many times these group sessions can be a result of bullying situations that turn into mediation. Social workers can also aid in social and emotional development of students and are an additional support system for students and their families. It is also important for social workers to be active within these practice models because many times they act as liaisons between families, schools, and communities.
Conclusion
As we can see, through the research, and in particular the statistics, bullying within school systems is a growing social epidemic, haunting the hallways of our schools, on a daily basis. As a result of children being bullied they are reporting lower levels of self-esteem, and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide. Because of the technologically advanced world we live in, bullying has taken on new forms and identities, making more children accessible to be targets and bully-victims. It is important that we continue to address this social issue and bring about effective prevention and intervention programs to combat the unacceptable norm.