All In: Building Positive Communities program

Monday, September 7, 2015

Jennifer Cannon, Extension Educator

Sarah (not her real name) was in kindergarten and acted maybe a bit too impulsively. She ran up to a boy and hugged him.

Embarrassed, the boy recoiled and then told his friends. Their response? To spray him with imaginary Sarah germ repellent. They also told other girls. They joined the boys in perpetuating the Sarah germ response, spraying anything she touched.

If Sarah drank out of a fountain, the children would spray the fountain before using it. If she got up from her seat in the cafeteria, the next child would spray the seat before sitting down.

Within just a few days, none of the children would be caught talking with her including her in their activities. Sarah was no longer invited to parties, to sleepovers, to recess games. Sarah was ostracized. Not for a day, a week, or even a month; her classmates ostracized Sarah until her parents decided to move her to another school ... in fifth grade .

Ostracism is defined as the act of excluding someone from the group (Merriam-Webster, 2014). Researchers have found that Ostracism not only occurs amongst children, but also is quite prevalent amongst adults as well. So the question then becomes what are we going to do to address this issue?

Well, for Putnam County I wrote and received a grant in which allowed us to become one out of the 92 counties to implement the All In: Building Positive Communities program.

All In is a program about understanding ostracism and how repeated social rejection may lead to poor school or work performance, anger or depression, problems with others, drug use or possible violence to self or others.

The program begins on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Putnam Counyy Fairgrounds with Dr.Kip Williams, professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University, highlighting his research and that of others who are learning more about ostracism and its detrimental impacts.

Instead of following a traditional anti-bullying seminar model, this all-inclusive program is geared to initiate specific actions to make a difference in people's lives and build a more positive community. All adults who are concerned about rejection, bullying, harassment, ostracism, and negative behaviors that hurt and exclude others are encouraged to attend. Especially encouraged to attend are parents, teachers, coaches, police officers, social service providers, and religious leaders. Certificates for professional development are available for participating in this program.

Visit www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam or contact the local Purdue Extension Office by calling 653-8411 for more information regarding this week's column topic or to RSVP for upcoming events.

It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs. While many publications are free, some do have a fee.

Upcoming events

Sept. 11 -- Code Red, 9-10 a.m, Wabash Valley Fairgrounds.

Sept. 12 -- Purdue 4-H Robotics Challenge, State Fairgrounds.

Sept.15- All In: Building Positive Communities Forum 1, Putnam County Fairgrounds, 6 p.m.

Sept. 21-26 -- Poverty Awareness Week.

Sept. 22 -- All In: Building Positive Communities Forum 2: Film Screening, 6 p.m., Greencastle High School Auditorium.

Sept. 24 -- Arthritis and Agriculture webinar, noon. Call for registration information.