Outside Support runs a six-week online support group for middle schoolers experiencing bullying. Students are grouped with kids from other schools — never anyone from their own — giving them a safe space to connect with peers who understand, while learning problem-solving and coping strategies.
Kids who've been bullied are more likely to struggle at school, have more difficulty with peer relationships, and find it tougher to cope with stress, all while feeling less supported.1 Prevention helps, but students who've already been targeted often need something built just for them. That's what BELONG offers.
1 Drawn from peer-reviewed research on the effects of bullying. For references.
Developed and piloted by Dr. Susan Swearer — Willa Cather Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln — BELONG draws on cognitive-behavioral research into what actually helps kids who've been bullied. In our program, trained facilitators lead small online groups, built around three core aims.
Knowledge is power. Students learn to identify what bullying is, why it happens, and — critically — that it is never their fault. Naming the experience is the first step to moving past it.
Each session introduces age-appropriate, practical skills — problem-solving strategies, coping skills to help during stressful experiences, and how to assertively ask for help.
Students learn that they're not alone. Small groups led by facilitators create a supportive space where genuine, empathetic peer connections form. And because the program is online, no student is ever grouped with someone from their own school.
It helped me build up courage. The courage to stand up for myself and stand up for others. You guys really helped me.
Learn how the program works, what your child will experience, and how to refer them.
Outside Support is designed to work alongside your existing support systems — an external resource you can refer students to with confidence.
We work with community organizations who share our mission of supporting middle schoolers affected by bullying.
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