“Bullying has gotten a lot of press in recent years,” says Changho.  “And there have been a lot of knee-jerk reactions to bullying, and how to handle it.  Unfortunately, while everyone has an opinion, not all opinions are in fact effective.”

Changho brings together leaders who work with children to contribute to this book series.  These include bully-prevention specialists, school teachers, child psychologists, self-defense and martial arts instructors, and other experts.

“Awareness is the first step.  This book series will continue that effort.  But what truly needs to happen is action taken at the grassroots level.  Each parent and teacher must do something for themselves to make their children bully-proof.  This includes confidence building and character development.  Each contributor to this series will give actionable steps that parents and teachers can take.”

Bully-prevention expert Brett Lechtenberg agrees.  

“Raising awareness is not enough”, he says.  Lechtenberg, best-selling author of The Anti-Bully Program and contributor to the Bullyproof series, teaches and speaks nationwide on anti-bully efforts.  “Many times teachers and parents thing that having an assembly at school to ‘raise awareness,’ and talking about bullying will make the problem go away. This is absolutely false. Raising awareness is great but you have to follow that up with real training for kids, parents and school staff.”

Bullying continues to be a problem in schools, however between 17-41% of bullying targets do not report it when it happens.  According to stopbullying.gov, kids who are bullied are more likely to exhibit depression and anxiety, decreased academic achievement and school participation, and health concerns.

“This new series will bring a nationwide problem back to the local level where we as a community can handle it,” says Changho.