Bullying has always been around. Much of th e time society ignores it, but increasingly it rears its ugly head as a backdrop to tragedies like Columbine and the suicide of the Hadley Massachusetts teen, Phoebe Prince. In our May, 2010 newsletter we addressed Bullying and, what was a new term then, "Cyber-bullying", providing some definition and helpful hints. Since then many other resources have been published, yet the problem of bullying may be even more pervasive today. Although it has been around forever, bullying should never be accepted as normal behavior. The feelings experienced by victims of bullying are painful and lasting. Bullies, if not stopped, can progress to more serious, antisocial behavior. Recent incidents of school violence show that bullying can have tragic consequences for individuals, families, schools, and entire communities. Continue reading here...

A couple of years ago, like many communities, the town of Northbridge (Whitinsville) had become increasingly troubled by the needs of its youth who were struggling in schools and in the community. A grassroots group called the Northbridge Coalition, a partnership of students, professionals, parents, educators, clergy and concerned citizens came together to identify critical concerns that not just youth, but the whole community faced, and to address these concerns in pro-active ways. Family Continuity, one of the coalition founders, became involved because even though it provides a lot of counseling, mentoring and community support services, it was clear that we don't provide everything, or even come close to it. Read more about the Connector here...