Bullying should not be tackled alone. It's time for our community to stand up and take action.

In 2011, Thames Valley District School Board and CTV London led the community in taking The Pledge with more than 74,000 members declaring their commitment to end bullying.

The Pledge is a community wide-initiative that seeks to raise the public consciousness about bullying. With the support of caring individuals in the school board, local businesses and the media, TVDSB has made an impact and reached out to those affected by bullying.

Two versions of The Pledge are available — one for young children and one for teenagers and adults. The adult pledge states that, "I believe that everyone has the right to live in a community where they feel safe, included, valued and accepted regardless of differences. I pledge to be respectful of others and stand up against bullying whenever and wherever I see it."

And now that The Pledge is out there, it's time to start living it.

This year the newest phase of The Pledge encourages everyone who took The Pledge to act on the words and stand up against bullying behaviour.

Julie Maltby, TVDSB public affairs officer and The Pledge cochair, has been working hard to raise awareness in hopes that the campaign will ultimately put an end to bullying.

"It's more than saying the words and feeling good about it in the moment," said Maltby. "We're asking people to live The Pledge, to be respectful and behave in a way they would want to be treated themselves. We're asking people to help us end bullying in our community."

The Pledge campaign has grown outside of the Thames Valley district and reached out to communities in Barrie, Kitchener-Waterloo and Windsor.

"Several school boards in those regions are looking for ways to prevent bullying as well," Maltby indicated. "It shows that communities are looking for ways to address the issue but may not have the resources. If we are able to share our plan for them to implement at their school board, we're thrilled with that."

TVDSB has made significant efforts to provide creative and effective anti-bullying programming. In a survey following The Pledge campaign in 2011, 84 per cent of principals in the district reported positive behavioural changes, as well as an increased awareness about bullying and bullying prevention.

Bill Tucker, TVDSB's director of education, praised the involvement of media in the campaign. With 24 media outlets supporting The Pledge with public service announcements and editorial coverage in 2011, it's no wonder why the campaign has been recognized for its initiatives.

"We couldn't have done it without the media," said Tucker.

On October 1 of this year, CTV London launched a newly designed website where you can take The Pledge. The site provides information about bullying, links to helpful resources, media coverage and a tracking system so that individuals, schools and organizations can record their progress in taking The Pledge. You can check that out at ctvnewslondon.ca/thepledge.

To further raise awareness, CTV London has also put together four public service announcements that will rotate in all four participating regions.

CTV London and other media partners are making sure that the message gets out about bullying and how everyone can live The Pledge. When it comes to the issue of bullying, it's the collaborative efforts of all those in the community to stand up, speak out and take action.

November 12 is the first day of Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week, and people are invited to take the pledge at 10:30 a.m.