Bullies are everywhere, and it's an issue that must be addressed.

Members of a panel discussion agreed to that need on Friday afternoon during Yukon school councils' annual spring conference at the High Country Inn.

The afternoon session saw Len Walchuk, principal of Hidden Valley Elementary School; Dennis Darling, a Second Step program consultant; Kerry Huff, principal of Porter Creek Secondary School; and psychologist Stacy Bernard discuss the problem.

The session was organized by Nathan Troyer, who described himself as a 'passionate parent'.

Troyer has also worked with young offenders, witnessing what can happen to youth who don't get the support they need.

Last year, Troyer attended the I Am Safe conference in Ottawa that looked at bullying.

'Bullying isn't restricted to schools,' he said. There could be bullying in any relationship, he noted.

During the session, a number of school council members brought forward examples of teachers or bosses bullying students or their staff.

For youth, bullying can mean cognitive and social delays as well as other problems arising.

At the I Am Safe conference, Troyer spoke to a man who had been at Columbine High School in the U.S. when two students went in and started shooting, killing 12 students and one teacher.

That student witnessed, first-hand, the impact bullying can have on someone.

It's no longer something that can simply be talked about, but rather an issue that must be acted on, Troyer argued.

Throughout the discussion, panel members praised the Second Step program aimed at teaching social and emotional skills to prevent violence.

Huff noted he benefits from many of his students having been part of the Second Step program during the elementary school careers event.

As Walchuk noted, at Hidden Valley students are taught communication skills, making it possible for them to say to anyone they don't like what's being done. That can have a powerful impact on people, he said.

While Huff said students are much better about not bullying than when he went to school, he also acknowledged that bullying is everywhere.

While it's most prevalent in the lower grades, such as Grades 8 and 9 at Porter Creek Secondary, he's also noticed a difference in how boys and girls approach bullying.

While boys tend to be more physical in their bullying, girls tend to try to make their peers more socially isolated when they're bullying,

Technology has also changed the way students bully one another, Huff said.

'It's very, very ugly,' he said.

The Internet has meant students can post items about one another in cyberspace.

Teachers had been able to keep Internet use at school to a minimum and have some control over cyberbullying happening during school hours, he added.

However, the onset of cell phone use has meant students can text-message one another throughout class time about how they'll deal with someone during the next break.

Some phones also come with cameras, which Huff described as weapons. Pictures taken can be easily posted to the Internet.

In some schools Outside, cell phones have been banned from the school for that reason.

Students who are bullied usually seem more anxious, insecure and may lack social skills or have no support network, he said.

By the same token, Huff has noticed bullies are generally people who have a need for power and control. They also usually have good self-esteem and are sure of themselves, he's noticed.

Porter Creek also has an anti-bullying program which is aimed at self-esteem and students surrounding themselves with the right people, he said.

The school is also fortunate in that it's big enough that there is a large range of activities, with most students finding something they can be involved in.

When students are involved, they tend to have a network of friends and don't allow themselves to be bullied, the principal said.

School staff also spend a lot of time trying to get to know each student individually.

That means when there is an issue of bullying, Huff is able to deal with it on a more individual level, knowing the kids involved.

Kids also need to believe that if they come to an authority figure with a problem, it's going to be dealt with, and that their anonymity will be kept confidential, he said.

'What I really wish I had was a dog that could sniff out bullies,' Huff said with a laugh. He was referring to the school's prospective Canines for Safer Schools program that would bring a dog into the school.

While the school has hired an officer to lead the program, whether a dog will be permitted in the school is still unknown due to a human rights complaint that's been filed by a family who says their child is allergic to dogs.

It was also noted by panelists including Bernard that bystanders witnessing bullying have a huge impact on what happens.

Bernard recalled a speech by a Holocaust survivor, who noted children aren't born bullies.

'We are coaching these children,' she said.

Work needs to be done to help children form attachments with healthy adults in an effort to turn cruelty to compassion, she added.

In recent years, she pointed out, children's peers have become more important to many than the former family relationships that were primary.

While some children are blessed to grow up in secure homes, others who don't, need support from other areas.

She agreed with other panelists that adults have to model the behaviour they want to see in children.

The discussion on bullying continued Saturday with a presentation by consultant and author Barry MacDonald.

A former teacher and administrator, MacDonald is now a consultant looking at issues such as bullying.

Bob Walker, the school council liaison officer for the Department of Education, said this morning the approximately 40 school council members, first nations officials, parents and teachers who were on hand for the Saturday session left with numerous ideas on how children function and how parents can talk and deal with them.

Also through the weekend session, members elected a new executive for the year.

Representing Whitehorse will be Chris Bookless, Katheryn Souster and Ed Krahn.

The communities will be represented by Ted Baker of Faro, Neil Salvin of Mayo and Glen Everitt and Bob Laking of Dawson City.

Which positions each will hold on the executive will be decided at their first meeting, Walker explained.