Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced a new campaign this week to educate more Americans about how to prevent bullying and youth violence -- behaviors that can have tremendous negative impact on children's success in school and overall well-being.

"Bullying is something that we cannot ignore," Secretary Thompson said. "From the schoolrooms to the schoolyards, we must nurture a healthy environment for our children. By engaging the entire community in preventing bullying, we can promote a more peaceful and safe place for children to grow."

The campaign -- "Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop Bullying Now!" -- is designed to stop bullying, including verbal or physical harassment that occurs repeatedly over time, that is intended to cause harm, and that involves an imbalance of power between the child who bullies and the child who is bullied.

The campaign was developed by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in partnership with more than 70 health, safety, education and faith-based organizations. In addition, a Youth Expert Panel comprised of 18 9- through 13-year-olds provided creative direction during the development of the campaign.

In addition to the animated "webisodes," which will be updated every two weeks at www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov, the campaign will feature television and radio public service announcements distributed through the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) member stations. The campaign Web site also offers camera-ready print PSAs and a Resource Kit about bullying prevention programs and activities that can be implemented at the school or community level. The Web site and Resource Kit also provide tools to help in handling individual bullying problems and for creating bullying prevention programs.

For more information on "Take A Stand. Lend A Hand. Stop Bullying Now!" go to www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov, or call 1-888-ASK-HRSA.

Dr. Elizabeth Duke, HRSA with Surgeon General, Dr. Richard Carmona. Miss America 2003 Erika Harold, whose platform is bullying is holding the crown. The tall man in the background is Washington Redskins receiver Darnerien McCants. The kids are members of the Stop Bullying Now Youth Expert Panel. The characters are featured in the campaign's educational PSAs and website: www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/index.asp