Bucksport -
A community initiative in Bucksport is asking folks to intervene against bullying, domestic violence, and elder abuse. On Wednesday night, the Healthy Bay Communities Coalition kicked off their campaign to stop all three. They say the problem is a pattern.
"Abuse that started in the home can manifest itself through bullying at school. It's learned behaviors," said Jim Boothby, superintendent of RSU 25.
At the high school level, administrators are seeing abuse at home, turn into a backhanded form of bullying at school. And the catalyst is activity on the computer through cyber bullying on social media.
"It's impersonal. They feel safe saying things that they probably wouldn't say face-to-face."
"I see a lot of bullying at Bucksport and I like to do as much as possible to stop it," said freshman Joy Fitzgerald.
"I would like to help people that are being bullied and just support them," said fellow student Adam Bohlen.
Student groups like "Make a Difference" at Bucksport High School are helping curb the trend. Wednesday night, those students performed skits at the community forum, to help demonstrate the different aspects of abuse and how to help.
"The first step is to approach the person with an attitude of caring and just ask them if they're okay," said Dr. Thomas Gaffney, President of the Bucksport Healthy Communities Coalition.
"There is support and there is help and they need to connect to people who can help them. Ask for help."