2019 Urban Research Award: Reducing Identity-Based Harassment for Marginalized Youth: An Evaluation of the Anti-Defamation League’s Peer Leader Program among Urban Youth

PI: Melissa Holt, PhD; Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology and Applied Human Development; Wheelock College of Education and Human Development (WCEDHD)
Co-PIs: Christine Marsico, PhD student; Counseling Psychology, WCEDHD and Jennifer Greif Green, PhD; Associate Professor, Special Education, WCEDHD

One of the most pressing societal problems facing youth is identity-based bullying and harassment, which is on the rise in the United States. Although all forms of bullying and harassment are destructive, identity-based bullying and harassment are associated with even worse health and educational outcomes than other harassment forms, highlighting the particular salience of attacks on one’s identity. While all 50 states have passed anti-bullying legislation that requires schools to implement, many are limited in their effectiveness. The most promising programs emphasize ally and bystander behaviors, such as the Anti-Defamation League’s Peer Training Program. Specifically, the program provides a mechanism for reducing harassment and bullying among marginalized youth, with the goal of reducing education inequities. The investigators, in partnership with New England’s Anti-Defamation League, will examine the extent to which this program can serve as a lever for decreasing identity-based bullying and harassment in urban schools, particularly among traditionally marginalized youth.

View more projects funded through our Early Stage Urban Research Awards