Keswick Karate offered a free “Back to School Self Defense Class” to our community on Aug. 21.

The focus was on bully-proofing kids for school.

Bullying is when someone uses their power to hurt, frighten, exclude or insult someone.

It is usually done on purpose and is usually repeated.

We had over 20 kids plus their parents participate in the seminar to hear how to deal with bullies.  Some parents were already concerned since their children were entering the school system, while others had children in school that were dealing with their own bully.

Keswick Karate covered everything from the different types of bullies, how it feels to be bullied and then, of course, what to do if you are in this situation.

The kids were encouraged to use their words when being bullied.

"STOP!  I’M GETTING A TEACHER!  YOU’RE HURTING ME!" they were urged to yell it if they needed to.

They were encouraged to go speak to a safe person – a teacher, a guardian or a parent.

If somebody is being physically harmed, you can call our local police at 1-866-876-5423 (7300) or 911.

Visit keswickkarate.ca to view our blog and receive an anti-bullying e-book or contact us at keswick.karate@gmail.com for more information.