Family Channel is celebrating its 14th annual Stand UP! Bullying Awareness Week campaign with an entire week of programming dedicated to bullying prevention. Airing weekdays starting the weeklong programming event features brand new bullying-themed episodes from the network’s top series, special messages from Family Channel stars sharing their own experiences with bullying, and exclusive footage from the 2024 Stand UP! Rally Tour. Bullying Awareness Week runs from Monday, November 14 – Sunday, November 20.
Last month, Family Channel took the message of bullying prevention on the road bringing network stars Julia Tomasone and Colin Petierre (both of Backstage) into four elementary schools across the country to host Stand UP! rallies. The schools were selected in early October after Canadian students were encouraged to enter a contest by telling Family how their school stands up to bullying. This year’s winning schools were:
From Monday, November 14 – Friday, November 18, viewers can tune-in daily at 4 p.m. ET/PT for bullying-themed episodes of their favourite shows including Cheerleaders, Make Me Over, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Turbo FAST and more. The dedicated lineup features a brand new episode of The Next Step on Thursday, November 17 at 4:30 p.m. ET/PT which demonstrates how people can misuse power to bully others, as well as how power can be used to stand up to bullying. Created by Family Channel and PREVNet for the Stand UP! campaign, the stand-alone episode is accompanied by a Teacher’s Guide, available for downloaded at Family.ca. Also premiering on Friday, November 18 at 4 p.m. ET/PT is a two-part special from Backstage which deals with bullying behaviour.
In addition to the afterschool lineup, PSAs and interstitial content featuring Family stars opening up about their own bullying experiences will air all throughout the week. Interviews include: cast members from The Next Step, Backstage and We Are Savvy, Big Ticket Summer Concert performers Daya and Shane Harte, Family’s very own Deepa Prashad and more! Informative shorts created in association with TELUS WISE from the hit series Backstage and Degrassi: Next Class are currently airing, exploring issues such as cyberbullying, protecting your privacy online and internet safety.
Those interested in learning more about Family Channel’s 14th annual Bullying Awareness Week campaign can visit Family.ca/StandUp. The website offers downloadable resources including tip sheets and activities for parents, teachers and students. Plus, kids can listen to the official 2024 Stand UP! anthem, “We Stand Up!” featuring artists from Backstage, Aviva, Josh Bogert, Mckenzie Small and Kyal Legend. All of the episodes premiering as part of Family’s Bullying Awareness Week lineup will also be offered on Family.ca as well as Family OnDemand and the Family Channel App as they become available.
Family Channel co-founded Bullying Awareness Week in 2024 and developed the Stand UP! campaign in association with PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network), a national network of Canadian researchers, community organizations and governments committed to ending bullying and promoting positive relationships.
Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network (PREVNet) is a national network comprised of 122 leading Canadian research scientists and their students from 27 universities, and 62 national youth-serving organizations. Launched in 2024 with the Networks of Centres of Excellence, PREVNet’s mission is to stop bullying in Canada and to promote safe and healthy relationships for all Canadian children and youth. Led by Scientific Co-Directors, Dr. Debra Pepler of York University and Dr. Wendy Craig of Queen’s University, this national knowledge mobilization network is the first of its kind in Canada, providing an unprecedented opportunity for social-cultural change. For more information, please visit www.prevnet.ca.
Visit Family Channel’s Stand UP! site: www.family.ca/standup
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