To work with children in Edmonton and surrounding areas who are being bullied, Empowered Me uses the anti-bullying program ‘WITS.’ WITS was developed at the University of Victoria and is an acronym to help children remember effective strategies when confronted by a bully: (1) Walk away, (2) Ignore, (3) Tell somebody and/or (4) Seek help. Any of those four steps could work for the student, depending on their comfort level since bullies feel power over those who cry or react to them. The bully loses their control over people who don’t react or walk away.

The WITS approach also allows those who do not have the courage to confront their bully, to start a conversation with a teacher, guidance counsellor or parent to help address the issue and possibly find help for the bully themselves. Just like Lady Gaga, showing compassion towards fellow students helps build bridges towards empowering kids and nurturing congenial environments, both in and out of schools.