(Lawrenceville, Ga., March 22, 2012) – Elementary school students are getting a hands-on lesson about bullying from a team of dedicated teachers and volunteers. The Hands Are Not for Hitting program is a series of interactive puppet shows aimed at teaching Gwinnett County kindergarten through second graders non-violent solutions for resolving conflict. The program is sponsored by the Gwinnett County Solicitor’s Office in partnership with Gwinnett County Retired Educators Association.

“Bullying has become a serious issue in schools today, and over the course of the 15 years this program has been in place, the effects of bullying have led to some dangerous outcomes,” said Gwinnett Solicitor Rosanna Szabo.

Szabo brought the program to Gwinnett County in 1997 after learning about a similar program in Minnesota. The puppet shows were initially put on by victims’ advocates and other volunteers until the Solicitor’s Office partnered with the Retired Educators Association to coordinate the performances. The retired teachers and volunteers present the 30- to 45-minute puppet shows two days a week from October to mid-March in approximately 40 Gwinnett County elementary schools. The young audiences range from 10,000 to nearly 13,000 students per year. The 2011 – 2012 season ended on March 14 with more than 59 shows presented in 34 schools to 10,539 students.

School counselors choose from three different shows based on specific age groups: The Trouble with Patti, Hands are Not for Hitting and Be Someone’s Hero – Don’t be the Audience. Shows are also put on for children with special needs. Hands program coordinator Phyllis Caffey said, “Through the Hands Are Not for Hitting Program, we’re targeting our younger children so they can recognize bullying at an early age and how to keep from becoming a bully or a victim of bullying.”

“We not only meet the needs of children, but also adults. Adults have come up to me with tears in their eyes, as they related stories of when they were a child and had been bullied,” said Lyn Ferraiolo, a Hands volunteer.