Ulster County Executive Mike Hein Proclaims The Week Of January 21st As No Name-Calling Week In Ulster County

Posted January 18, 2019

Kingston, NY – Ulster County Executive Mike Hein proclaims the week of January 21st No Name-Calling Week in Ulster County.  No Name-Calling Week (NNCW) is a national bullying prevention campaign developed by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and is co-sponsored locally by the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center.  The week is rooted in the idea of #KindnessInAction, recognizing the importance of kindness and actively adding kindness into every action to create safe schools free from name-calling, bullying and bias.  This is the 9th consecutive year that Ulster County is highlighting No Name-Calling Week. 

Michael P. Hein, Ulster County Executive

“I am pleased to once again highlight GLSEN’s No Name-Calling Week in partnership with the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center to address the serious issue of bullying,” said County Executive Mike Hein.  “Unfortunately, statistics show that those students who are affected by bullying and name-calling often experience a negative impact on their academic achievement, education aspirations and psychological well-being.  No Name-Calling Week provides an opportunity to celebrate kindness while reminding our youth that bullying and name-calling have no place in our schools. To help address cyberbullying in Ulster County, we recently partnered with the LGBTQ Community Center to launch an important social media campaign utilizing Snapchat and Instagram platforms to educate the community and help protect our youth from cyberbullying.”

Rob Conlon, Co-Chair, GLSEN Hudson Valley

“GLSEN’s recently released 2017 National School Climate research makes clear that many LGBTQ students in New York continue to face hostile environments even with the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) designed to protect them from bullying and harassment in school,” Rob Conlon, Co-Chair, GLSEN Hudson Valley. “GLSEN Hudson Valley is fortunate to have Ulster County Executive Mike Hein as a partner in improving school climate in Ulster County. Every year, he has encouraged school and community leaders to participate in No Name-Calling Week, which highlights the power of kindness in action.  His efforts to ensure schools implement practices that are inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ students have made Ulster County schools safer environments for all students.”

Jeff Rindler, Executive Director, Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center

“The Center is proud to honor ‘No Name Calling Week’ with County Executive Mike Hein and our partners at GLSEN Hudson Valley,” said Jeff Rindler, Executive Director of the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center in Kingston. “We’ve made incredible progress in the fight against cyber bullying through our partnership with the county on an anti-cyber bullying campaign on social media. We are also looking forward to partnering with local schools and GLSEN Hudson Valley on our annual Creative Expression Art Exhibit being held March 18-22nd at the FDR Home and Library in Hyde Park. The exhibit features work inspired by GLSENS’s No Name Calling Week by local K-12 students. Please contact the Center if you would like to submit you or your child’s artwork!”

Dr. Carol Smith, Commissioner of Health and Mental Health

"Bullying in all forms is a major public health challenge and one that demands the attention of all stakeholders including parents, educators, community leaders and citizens from every walk of life,” said Dr. Carol Smith, Commissioner of Health and Mental Health. “`No Name-Calling Week,´ and County Executive Mike Hein's leadership in shining a bright light on the issue, will help increase general awareness and understanding, and inspire corrective actions. We must unite to help protect those who have been impacted by bullying and help prevent it from happening in the future. We owe it to all of our children, and everyone in our community, to vigorously address this issue.”

Bullying Statistics:

  • 28% of U.S. students in grades 6–12 & 20% of U.S. students in grades 9–12 experienced bullying
  • 70% of young people say they have seen bullying in their schools
  • Of those students who reported being bullied, 13% were made fun of, called names, or insulted; 12% were the subject of rumors; 5% were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; and 5% were excluded from activities on purpose
  • Students who experience bullying are at increased risk for poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression
  • Cyberbullying is when someone repeatedly threatens, harasses, mistreats, or makes fun of another       person (on purpose) online or while using cell phones or other electronic devices
  • 34% of students experienced cyberbullying in their lifetime
  • 12% of students admitted that they had cyberbullied others at some point in their lifetime

Anti- Bullying and Bullying Prevention Resources in Ulster County:

Ulster County’s bullying prevention resource section can be viewed at http://ulstercountyny.gov/executive/stop-bullying.  To learn more about No Name-Calling Week please visit https://www.glsen.org/no-name-calling-week.

To highlight GLSEN’s NNCW, GLSEN Hudson Valley and the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center will be hosting its Student Creative Expression Exhibit at the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York March 18 – March 22, 2019. 

Pictured above (2018 from left):  Rob Conlon, Co-Chair GLSEN Hudson Valley; Ulster County Executive Mike Hein; and Jeff Rindler, Executive Director, Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center