"Voices of Our World" Addresses "Bullying: K Thru Life"

Contact: Mike Virgintino, 914-941-7636 ext 2219

MARYKNOLL, N.Y., Jan. 11, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- The first segment of a two-part radio program that discusses the growing problem of bullying from the schoolyard to the digital world to the workplace now is available online at www.voicesofourworld.org.  

The first part of Bullying: K Thru Life was broadcast nationally last October on Voices of Our World, the award-winning weekly public affairs radio program produced by Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. The show features discussions with a high school student who has been bullied and a relational aggression (RA) expert. On the second segment, the RA expert answers specific questions about bullying that were posted on the Voices Facebook page (www.facebook.com/voicesofourworld). The program will air on radio stations across the country during the second half of February and it also will be available online.

"From grade school through college and beyond, bullying has been allowed to go way too far, far too often," said Kathy Golden, producer, Voices of Our World. "Statistics indicate that 43 percent of all teens have experienced online harassment. The U.S. is averaging 28 teen suicides per week."

During the program, Dr. Cheryl Dellasega, the relational aggression expert and a professor of women's studies at Penn State University, explains that RA often is dismissed as teasing by school personnel. She indicates that many people may feel that anything short of physical violence is non-threatening. But, she adds, all forms of RA are considered to be bullying, a form of violence with short and long-term consequences.

Voices of Our World is heard on about 90 radio stations across the country. The program features human rights issues, the plight of the world's under-represented people and the environment.

Maryknoll's two radio programs, Voices of Our World and the Spanish-language Voces de Neustro Mundo, garner a worldwide audience through weekly broadcasts, downloading and podcasts. All programs and a list of radio stations airing the shows can be located on the shows' website (www.voicesofourworld.org). The programs also can be found on iTunes.

Follow Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers on Twitter at twitter.com/MaryknollNews and Facebook at www.facebook.com/maryknollsociety.

Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers is the overseas mission outreach of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, following Jesus in serving the poor and others in need in 27 countries. All Catholics are called to mission through baptism, and Maryknoll's mission education outreach in parishes and schools throughout the country engages U.S. Catholics in mission through prayer, donations, as volunteers and through vocations.

During 2011, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers will commemorate its centennial with a theme of The Gift of Mission -- The Maryknoll Journey. These missionaries will celebrate as they continue their journey into the next 100 years to share God's love and the Gospel in combating poverty, providing healthcare, building communities and promoting human rights. Learn more at www.maryknollsociety.org.