UP Standers ROCK coming to Avondale School District

Students in Kindergarten through eighth grade are invited to a special event hosted by Avondale Youth Assistance (AYA) and the Rochester/Auburn Hills Community Coalition on October 6th. UP Standers ROCK is a high energy interactive assembly that helps kids understand that their roles as upstanders (not bystanders) in their school will help keep their school safe and bully-free. Billed as "not another anti-bullying lecture assembly", UP Standers ROCK engages the student-audience with hands-on activities focused on identifying, reacting to, and reporting bullying. "We wanted the anti-bullying event for the kids to be fun and memorable while still delivering the message that it's better to be an upstander than a bystander," said Michael Kazyak, Avondale Youth Assistance Chairman. "The assembly is a balance between keeping the kids engaged and delivering the anti-bullying message," he added.

During the event, students are involved in learning strategies to help them "do the right thing" when interacting with friends and peers. Specific topics for the assembly include identifying types of bullying; reporting bullying to an adult; respecting other people; and how to encourage peers and avoid put-downs. The free assembly is held in conjunction with the Bullying: What You Need to Know and What You Can Do presentation for parents facilitated by Dr. Julie McDaniel, a Student Safety and Well-Being Consultant with Oakland Intermediate School District. Both presentations take place on October 6th from 7:00 - 8:30 pm at the Avondale Meadows Learning Center (1435 W. Auburn Road, Rochester Hills, 48309). The parents' presentation takes place in the school's media center while the students' assembly will be in the school's cafeteria.

Avondale Youth Assistance partners with several different community groups throughout the school year to provide parent and family education, information and resources via workshops and presentations designed to help parents help their children. Their mission is to strengthen youth and families and reduce the incidence of juvenile delinquency, child neglect and abuse through community involvement. They work in partnership with the Avondale School District and are supported by local municipalities and the Oakland County Circuit Court-Family Division which provides a caseworker to offer counseling to children and their families.