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Vigil Bullying Prevention Scholarship Essay by Frank A. Blazquez As the newly elected Governor of New Mexico, the bullying epidemic in our great state will be addressed immediately. First, in order to combat bullying full force, a clear definition of bullying must be detailed. Secondly, I will articulate how bullying negatively affects the morale in our schools along with the action plan needed to target all forms of bullying in New Mexico. Lastly, I will specify the program I plan to implement in order to ensure the highest rate of success. Simply stated, I swear to launch, maintain, and deliver an anti-bullying campaign tailored to our state’s specific needs. My platform on bullying is deliberate. Bullying must end and nothing will obstruct my path to eradicate it. Further, Bullying prevention is equally important to remedy this social problem in our schools. In the present-day where school shootings are increasing by the week, this epidemic must cease without delay. Given the future of New Mexico rests in the hands of our children—our most precious chances of hope, New Mexico’s educational legislation must reflect an emphasis on our youth. To make sure education in the Land of Enchantment continues to grow in a positive direction, we must adhere to a strict and engaging program to prevent and stop school bullying in its tracks. This campaign will reach inside of every state funded secondary school in New Mexico. This is not a matter of which school is willing to participate—all public schools fitting the criteria in New Mexico must take part in this social-reconfiguration. My plan is to catalyze a program that breeds compassion, inclusion, and toleration. To put it succinctly, a large dose of
empathy and preventative action is inherent in what I have named the Vigil Bullying Prevention Program. According to the standard definition, bullying is the use of superior strength or influence to intimidate, typically to force him or her to do what one wants. Keeping on track, the New Mexico Public Education Department website defines bullying as: any repeated and pervasive written, verbal or electronic expression, physical act or gesture, or a pattern thereof, that is intended to cause distress upon one or more students in the school, on school grounds, in school vehicles, at a designated bus stop, or at school activities or sanctioned events. Bullying includes, but is not limited to, hazing, harassment, intimidation or menacing acts of a student, which may, but need not be based on the student’s race, color, sex, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation. These definitions are great place to start, but a relevant revision is needed to concentrate on how bullying exists in New Mexico Public Schools in 2018 and beyond. To continue, New Mexico is home to a large Latino population, and census data concludes a high percentage of persons identifying as female. Ultimately, this means Latinos and females (or persons identifying as female) in New Mexico are more prone to bullying than other groups. Data suggests that discrimination based on race and sex occurs frequently in the realm of public schools. This data must be taken into consideration when constructing a program to combat bullying in New Mexico Public Schools. Nevertheless, the statistics above do not define the victims completely. Bullies nationwide specifically target those appearing to be weak and susceptible to behavioral manipulation. Children with mental and emotional special needs, the physically handicapped, and introverted types are often included in the bullying cycle of harassment. These groups will
Martinez halted the chance for New Mexico school districts to receive 5 million dollars in potential funding. As the new Governor of New Mexico, I pledge to support the legislation that Martinez vetoed and apportion 3 million of the 5 million dollars to launch the Vigil Bullying Prevention Program in 2019_._ Assisting the immediate victims of bullying is first on the agenda; therefore 1 million dollars will be used to assist in counseling services. As counseling services in the private medical sector are readily available, this pool of funding will supplement the faculty and staff directly involved in the victim’s daily class schedule. Given that victims are understandably fearful of reaching out to counselors and psychologists (an underage bully victim may not know how to search for counseling services like adults—and they might not possess the skills to alert their guardians) this 1 million dollars will be given in the form of a supplementary stipend. This stipend will fund the cross training needed to properly prepare faculty. As faculty may possess similar “bullying prevention” training from prior teaching assistantships, this stipend is geared towards attaining the ability to comprehend the particular demographics and trends relating to New Mexico students. Studies show that students form special friendships with teachers that are similar to their parents and guardians—this is why these parent-like figures must be involved in the counseling services. An additional 1 million dollars pays the prevention program itself that will include positions for teenagers (those that meet the requirements for state worker permits). These positions have an official title: the Vigil Buddies of New Mexico. Each Vigil Buddy will receive training that overlaps and runs parallel to the training of the faculty-counselors stated above. A Vigil Buddy will also sign a pledge stating his or her commitment to a school career dedicated to unconditional advocacy to those in need. These positions will also act as an internship for
students closing in on their senior year of high school. An agreement with the University of New Mexico will grant 6 hours of “Sociology 100” credit for Vigil Buddies completing 400 hours of outreach and prevention in New Mexico Public Schools. Most importantly, at the end of their tenures a Vigil Buddy will learn the skills and critical thinking abilities necessary to succeed in New Mexico colleges. To restate the Vigil Buddy’s importance to the program’s success, they carry the expertise that most faculty fall short of: social media knowledge. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat are the main internet platforms circulating many types of online bullying. Unwarranted behavior related to personal images (body shaming) and videos stimulate the bullying epidemic in the worst ways imaginable. A Vigil Buddy is encouraged to add their social media savvy to promote a safer social media atmosphere. The remaining 1 million dollars from the Vigil Bullying Prevention Program budget aims to fund the 90-minute documentary entitled A Voice Less Heard. This production will employ local New Mexican filmmakers and promotes film school scholarships and recommendations to attract a larger pool of participants. A Voice Less Heard will interview dozens of students and family members as they narrate intimate accounts on how bullying affected their lives. These interviewees have agreed to help in the process of training, teaching us how bullying occurs in New Mexico Public Schools. At the core, a victim of bullying is the best primary resource available to share the interconnections and highly complex system of bullying in New Mexico Public Schools. To elaborate more on the media campaign, panel discussions revolving around the interviewees will accompany the weeks and months following the film’s July 2019 release. Panel discussions will receive income from the public tour across America. In addition, A Voice Less Heard will apply to local and national film festivals (such as Sundance, SXSW, and Toronto) for
peer-mediated (in most cases by a Vigil Buddy) conference in which the victim and bully conduct a one-on-one fortification session. This mandatory fortification session lets both parties decide which activity they would like to participate in together. Activities include: multiplayer video-game sessions, media-production, a breakfast or lunch outing, an Isotopes game, or an activity date of their choice. This fortification session will vary in degree and time, but will be considered obligatory to guarantee a solid success rate. Coming home, much weight relies on the Vigil Bullying Prevention Program’s track to success. Given this objective, I will command that all New Mexico Public Schools hire personnel directly responsible for overseeing the program’s achievements. Schools displaying the highest rate of success (meaning schools exhibiting the lowest rates of bullying incidents) will be rewarded with the Vigil Helping Hand of the Year Award. As governor, I plan to utilize all of my power necessary to end bullying in New Mexico. Children are our last frontier for a better future—we need to start promoting this belief as if we truly believe it. Thank you, Frank Blazquez
