Registration Starts

REGISTRATION STARTS

• Pastor Rick Cole – Capital Christian Church
• Benjamin Wagner – United States Attorney
• Lisa Ford Berry – BRAVE
• John McGinnis – KFBK Radio Host

• Special Agent Nicholas Phirippidis - FBI
• Dr. Valinda Frost Ed.D – Mira Loma High School
• James Gilliam ACLU
• McGeorge School of Law
• Deputy Dana Vicory

NOON LUNCH

• Austin Widdershoven – BRAVE Youth Director
• Drew Reid Capital Christian Center
• Mike Saigon – Sacramento County Sheriff
• Jessica Wharton MFT – SCUSD
• Mari Juarez – Fullerton Union High School
• Ashley C. Ford - Pacific Career Technology
• Jordan Samford – Rio Americano High School

Understanding Peer Abuse

• Thirty percent (30%) of U.S. students in grades six through ten are involved in moderate or frequent bullying — as bullies, as victims, or as both — according to the results of the first national survey on this subject.

• Bullying is increasingly viewed as an important contributor to
• Approximately 25-30 percent of all students throughout the U.S. are subject to bullying.

• The National Institute of Child Health & Human Developments has reported that 17 percent of students are bullied “sometimes or weekly;” while another 19 percent have bullied others.
• Electronic communication, such as text messaging and social media, has led to a proliferation of “cyber-bullying,” which impacts nearly 20 percent of teenagers and has potentially disastrous outcomes.
• Bullying is a form of mistreatment and victimization that involves any combination of physical, verbal and/or psychological abuse.
• Bullying is a serious problem in K-12 schools that impacts the academic performance and the self-esteem of all students.
• Poor academic performance and a devastating array of psychological problems are severe consequences of bullying, on both the victims and perpetrators.
• Long-term consequences of bullying have been linked to an array of disorders that include criminal behaviors, substance abuse, and numerous mental health problems.
• According to the American Justice Department 1 out of 4 kids is a victim of peer abuse.
• 1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully, or doing some "Bullying."
• 8% of students miss 1 day of class per month for fear of Bullies.
• 43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school.

Breakout Session Descriptions

Dr. Valinda Frost, Ed.D – The Effects of Educational Policy on Criminal Peer Abuse. Children and youths are abused every day by their peers. Some of this abuse may be classified as criminal. Juvenile assailants of criminal peer abuse are not held accountable. Known more commonly as “bullying”, peer abuse in the high schools frequently reaches criminal levels; crimes of abuse which are defined by California Criminal Codes as felonies or misdemeanors but may not be investigated or prosecuted because of jurisdictional ambiguity

Dr. Wayne Reid, Ph.D. – The Painful Journey Toward School House Security. School disciplinary policy (including bullying) has been evolving for decades. In some cases, districts have been forced to expel or suspend students because of state and federal laws. More recently, states and individual districts have been turning away from policies that allow unfettered use of consequences that lead to students' absence from school

Dr. Todd A. Migliaccio, Ph.D. – Bullying as a Social Experience; The Social context of Bullying. Dr. Todd Migliaccio, a professor at California State University, Sacramento in the Department of Sociology has researched social relationships throughout his career; for the past six + years he has focused his studies on bullying, and the subsequent development of prevention and intervention programs in schools.

Dr. Juliana Raskauskas, Ph.D - Bullying as a Social Experience; The Social context of Bullying Dr. Juliana Raskauskas is an Associate Professor at California State University, Sacramento in Child Development. Her doctorate is in Educational Psychology from the University of California, Davis. For more than 10 years, Dr. Raskauskas has been researching and publishing in the area of bullying in the United States and New Zealand.

Dr. Shadi Jani MD, MSc- Margaret (Peg) Scott –Bullying From Medical Perspective-According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and the Society for Adolescent Medicine Peer abuse also known as bullying is associated with aggressive and assaultive behaviors. In a forty five minute co-presentation, Vice President of BRAVE Society and Professor of Psychology in American River Collegecover the medical and mental health implications of peer abuse as well as the effects of abusive behavior on the developing brain.

Benjamin Wagner –was appointed by President Barack Obama on November 6, 2009 to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California. The Eastern District encompasses 34 counties in California, from the Oregon border to Los Angeles County. Prior to being appointed U.S. Attorney, Mr. Wagner served in the office for over 17 years, prosecuting a wide range of federal crimes. He was the Chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit for nine years, and has also served as the Hate Crimes Coordinator and the districts Anti-Terrorism Coordinator.

Cole Zick - Student Ministries Director at Capital Christian Center

Craig Henderson Esq - is an attorney and an active member of the Sacramento legal and business community. His practice includes the preparation of wills and trusts and he has experience in a variety of areas of corporate and commercial law. He was graduated from Boston College Law School magna cum laude in 1991. He has assisted numerous arts and non-profit organizations in the community with the development of corporate governance documents and procedures.

Dee Di Gioia - This presentation will inspire the audience on bringing compassion into our daily lives to promote social-emotional and physical well-being. Dee DiGioia proves there are things within our control to help break the cycle of bullying and helps us to re-discover them. Learn key points from her children’s movieand published guidebook which will complement any existing bullying prevention program or spark an interest to get one going. Learn how to become part of the “Compassionate Communities of Northern California.

James Gilliam - is the Deputy Executive Director of the ACLU of Southern California, where he also directs the LGBTQ Student Rights Project. He worked with the federal government on its first case to use Title IX to enforce obligations on a school district for its failure to protect an openly gay student from bullying. Gilliam also teaches seminars on public interest lawyering and sexual orientation law at Loyola Law School.

Jason Gasbarro has been practicing martial arts for over 17 years. Through Courage Martial Arts & Fitness the focus is on creating a whole-life martial arts program that teaches students self-defense, discipline, focus, confidence, respect, courage and well-being.

Jennifer Dithridge - Theater of the Oppressed Theatre is one of the most dynamic ways we can simultaneously participate and reflect on individual and collective behavior. This session will explore the various roles associated with bullying, i.e. bully, victim, bystander, etc. and strike a balance between participation and reflection. Participants will have an opportunity to experience the challenges and solutions. NO theatre experience required- all are encouraged to attend!

Jessica Brookshire- KARMA

Jessica Wharton MFT - SCUSD

Joanna Jullien –Getting a “fresh start” to confront the bully: What does God have to do with it? Our children are not at peace today, because they are not learning the lessons essential to citizenship in a free society, which overcomes adversity with the mustard seeds of faith making the authority for civil liberty possible in the first place. The children are experiencing and witnessing anxiety, anger and confusion on many levels and it is manifest as a bully culture intensified by texting and social media. Confronting the bully involves a “fresh start” which by the grace of God is a choice available to everyone.

John McGinnis – KFBK Radio Host spent over 27 years’ experience with the Sheriff's Department and has served in every service area of the Department. He is a highly decorated veteran with a background in many high profile assignments.He is also an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice, Communications, Leadership and Professional Studies with the California State University.

Lisa Ford Berry – Founder, Brave Society - Walked away from a corporate career when her son Michael Joseph Berry became a victim of a peer abuse driven bullycide on his 17th birthday, September 15, 2008. B.R.A.V.E. is in honor of her son Michael, and any other child who has suffered, from peer abuse in the form of victim, bystander or bully. Lisa’s work fosters understanding so parents and educators can work together to promote peace, as well as create a resilient state of mind that allows us to celebrate human dignity.

Liseanne Wick –Program Manager, Suicide Prevention & Crisis Services (a program of WellSpace Health- formerly The Effort). A content expert in suicidology, Liseanne oversees the region’s nationally accredited 24hr Suicide Prevention Crisis Lines and many other prevention, intervention, and postvention services. She speaks with the passion, experience, and authority of 10 years of experience in suicide prevention fueled by the voices of thousands of callers over the span of 45 years of hotline provision.

Matt Huckabay - Executive Director at The Center for Violence Free Relationships. Teasing, Fighting, Bullying what’s the difference? Regarded as an expert in bullying prevention he has facilitated webinars and workshops at both the state and national level for parents, teachers, school boards and communities about eliminating the culture which supports bullying and the implementation of intervention strategies.

Deputy Michael Saigon – is a deputy sheriff assigned to the Youth Services Unit of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. Prior to his career in law enforcement, Deputy Saigeon worked in the recreation and coaching professions for 25+ years. His combination of recreation programming, coaching, and law enforcement experience, fueled his passion to give back to the community. Deputy Saigeon founded the non-profit Sheriff’s Community Impact Program (SCIP) where he is the current Director of this youth-serving community organization in the Arden-Arcade area of Sacramento County.

Mindi Russell –Law EnforcementChaplaincy Sacramento - We know bullying is wrong, we see the signs, and yet it happened. Now what? Prevention education is absolutely necessary but what should we do when it does happen. Addressing this issue in any stage will continue to reinforce it’s wrong and we are all responsible. No one should ignore, not get involved, nor allow this behavior. We all have a PART to stand up, stand against, and stand down bullying.

Nicholas G. Phirippidis Special Agent FBI - is assigned to the Violent Crimes Against Children Squad of the Sacramento FBI field office where he has been investigating child pornography and cyber terrorism investigations for the past five years. He is a member of the Sacramento Valley High-Tech Crimes Taskforce and ICAC Taskforce. He has provided training and assistance to several local, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies.

Rick Cole – Pastor, Capital Christian Center - has been the Senior Pastor of Capital Christian Center since September 1995. He oversees a church of over 4,000 people, a pastoral staff of 15, and a Christian school of approximately 1,100 students. Under the direction of Rick’s leadership, Capital’s vision is to remain committed to knowing truth, pursuing growth, and giving love. In addition to being a Pastor and author, Rick’s community involvements include serving on a committee at Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services. He also serves on the board of Sacramento Steps Forward, a public/private partnership to address the needs of the homeless in the Sacramento region. He has been involved in philanthropic endeavors in numerous countries as well as developing programs to assist his local community.

Say Something; Do Something Conference Sponsored by Brave Society, Capital Christian Center,

Freda B. Runyon Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, American River College A Life is Worth the Walk