Martial Arts Studio to Screen 'Bully'

Jason Flame's Tang Soo Do University is inviting the community to a screening of the much acclaimed film Bully.

The movie, winner of multiple film festivals, offers a glimpse into the lives of kids who are bullied. Viewers are brought into homes, classrooms, cafeterias, principal's offices and into the heads of the children who are physically and emotionally abused.

According to a 2011 nationwide study, 40 percent of teachers and school staff consider bullying a moderate or major problem in their schools and that 32 percent of students between ages 12 and 18 report experiencing bullying.

On the Bully Project website, the makers of the film point out "With the advent of the Internet, bullies are able to maintain a more persistent presence in the lives of their victims through cyber-bullying."

Following the community screening, the school will host an open discussion about how to handle and avoid bullying. The focus will be on learning non-aggressive methods of avoiding conflict and staying safe. Specifically participants will examine how to recognize bully behavior and stop it before it starts; knowing the skills it takes to defuse a potential confrontation while walking away and protection yourself by learning valuable self-defense skills and having the knowledge to set boundaries.

Note that the film is rated PG-13 and may not be appropriate for young children. To that end, the school is extending the invitation to teens and preteens and their parents.

The screening will take place from noon to 3 p.m. May 18 at Tang Soo Do University, 5285 Kazuko Court, Suite A.

While the event is free, spaces are limited so reservations are required. Register online here.