Helping youth
fight cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can range from sharing unwanted pictures on social media to excluding someone from a group chat or just being mean online. In all its forms, cyberbullying hurts. Dr. Johanna Sam, an assistant professor in UBC’s Faculty of Education and a citizen of the Tŝilhqot’in Nation, is researching how to best help victims of cyberbullying.

Through the Community-based Indigeneity, Resiliency and Cyberbullying Lab in Education (C.I.R.C.L.E) at UBC, Dr. Sam is studying how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth cope with cyber aggression. Her “two-eyed seeing” approach is based on an Indigenous concept where one eye views with Western methods and the other with Indigenous ways of knowing.

Her prior research found that youth of all backgrounds who are cyberbullied are more likely to engage in substance use. By listening to the experiences of diverse youth, Dr. Sam and her team hope to find new ways to help them cope and build resilience towards creating a safer digital future.

Give today and help youth stand up against cyberbullying.