by bullyingrrAdm | Jan 8, 2026 | BLOG
By Dru Ahlborg, Bullying Recovery Resource Center
As we reflect on 2025, it’s clear this year has asked a lot of all of us. Families have faced uncertainty, stress, and heartbreak, and for many caregivers supporting a child impacted by bullying, the weight has felt especially heavy. At BRRC, we want you to know we see you and we are deeply honored to walk alongside you through both the challenges and the moments of hope.
Even in a difficult year, meaningful progress is possible. In 2025, we launched Navigating Bullying Together: Parenting for Prevention, equipping caregivers with practical tools, education, and confidence to advocate for their children and help prevent bullying before it escalates. We have hosted the class 13 times and have taught it across the state including in low-income, Spanish-speaking, LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities. We also continued to grow our advocacy program, supporting more than 70 new families this year as they navigated complex and often overwhelming bullying situations.
Beyond direct support, we showed up again and again in our community across Colorado. From partner organizations to local events and conversations, each connection helped raise awareness, reduce stigma, and remind families they are not alone. These moments matter, and they add up to real change.
As we close out the year, we are grateful for every family who trusted us, every partner who stood with us, and every supporter who made this work possible. While 2025 brought challenges, it also reaffirmed the power of community, compassion, and collective action. That is what we will carry forward into the year ahead.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” — Theodore Roosevelt
Happy New Year.
by bullyingrrAdm | Dec 9, 2025 | BLOG
By Dru Ahlborg, Bullying Recovery Resource Center
Gratitude is more than a seasonal sentiment – it’s a powerful force for connection, empathy, and emotional well-being. Research shows that practicing gratitude helps build the very qualities that discourage bullying, and at BRRC, we witness this firsthand. As we continue to support targets of bullying and their families, this month we’re pausing to reflect on what we are grateful for within our community.
Our Families
First and foremost, we are grateful for the families we serve. It takes courage for a parent to reach out in a moment of fear or confusion, and even more courage for a target to share their experience. These families continually inspire us with their strength, vulnerability, and determination to seek safety and healing. Their stories ground our mission and remind us that no one should walk this journey alone.
Community Partners
We’re also grateful for the many partners who stand beside us. These community partners include: mental health professionals offering compassionate care, parent organizations seeking greater ways to care for their children and community organizations working together to ensure every child is protected and supported. Collaboration is central to our mission, and these partnerships make meaningful change possible.
Donors, Sponsors, Supporters, Board Members and Volunteers
Our heartfelt gratitude extends to our donors and supporters whose generosity sustains our work and drives our mission. Whether through Colorado Gives Day, the BELONG Gala, the Take a Swing at Bullying Topgolf event, or ongoing contributions, every gift directly impacts the families we serve. We also recognize our dedicated board members and volunteers, who lend their leadership, time, passion and heart to BRRC’s mission in countless ways.
Finally, we are grateful for the moments of progress we see each day. We witness families finding paths forward, schools adopting improved processes, and communities rallying around kindness and accountability. These victories, small or large, strengthen our hope and affirm that change is both real and reachable.
As we move into this season of reflection, we invite you to join us in noticing and celebrating the good around us. Gratitude has the power to bring people closer, strengthen families, and create safer spaces for children. From all of us at BRRC, thank you for being part of this work. We are truly grateful for you.
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — Melody Beattie
by bullyingrrAdm | Dec 9, 2025 | BLOG
Written by Dru Ahlborg, Bullying Recovery Resource Center
Bullying does not happen in isolation. Every act of bullying involves more than the person who bullies and the target who is harmed – there are also those who witness it. These witnesses, or bystanders, play a crucial role in how the situation unfolds. Their actions (or inaction) can either fuel the bullying or help stop it.
Why Bystanders Matter
Children who bully often seek attention or approval. When no one speaks up, it can seem like everyone agrees – a concept called pluralistic ignorance. But studies show that when even one person steps in or offers support, bullying often stops within seconds.
Becoming an Upstander
At BRRC, we call those who speak up and take action Upstanders. An Upstander is someone who recognizes when something is wrong and acts to make it right. They don’t wait for someone else to step in. They choose compassion and courage.
Being an Upstander doesn’t always mean confronting the bully directly. It can mean:
- Comforting the target or inviting them to join in.
- Refusing to laugh or participate.
- Getting help from a trusted adult.
- Modeling kindness and respect every day.
Helping Children Find Their Voice
Caregivers and educators can help children build the confidence to speak up by:
- Modeling assertiveness and showing calm, respectful ways to respond.
- Practicing “what if” scenarios to prepare them for real-life situations.
- Creating safety and trust so kids know they can report bullying and be supported.
One Voice Can Change Everything
When bystanders become Upstanders, they shift the culture around bullying. A single kind act or a quiet “That’s not okay” can make all the difference to a child who feels alone.
This Bullying Prevention Month, let’s remind our children, and ourselves, that we each have the power to make a difference.
BRRC’s Mission in Action
At Bullying Recovery Resource Center, we help families recover and rebuild after bullying. Together, we can create communities where every child feels seen, supported, and safe.
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” – Albert Einstein
by bullyingrrAdm | Oct 30, 2025 | NEWS
Bullying is more common than many of us realize—and its impact on teens can be seriously life-changing. Dru Alhborg of the Bullying Recovery Resource Center in Colorado joins me to share the essential steps to combating and overcoming bullying for yourself, a loved one or a friend. Find out the true definition of bullying, how to spot the warning signs, when to step in, how to be an ‘Upstander’ or support someone being bulled, and when moving schools may be necessary. This episode equips parents and teens with the tools you need to prevent, address, and heal from bullying.
by bullyingrrAdm | Oct 29, 2025 | BLOG
by Dru Ahlborg, Co-Founder and Executive Director of BRRC
At BRRC, we often hear heartbreaking stories about bullying. While peer-to-peer bullying is painful, one of the most confusing and damaging forms of bullying is when it comes from a trusted adult. Sadly, this happens in schools where the aggressor may be a teacher, coach, counselor, or administrator.
How It Shows Up
Adult bullying is often:
- Rationalized as “discipline” or “motivation”
- Normalized by students who watch it happen
- Ignored by colleagues who stay silent
- Enabled when schools fail to act
The effects are profound. Targets feel shock, shame, and powerlessness. Other students may join in. When families push back, retaliation can come as poor grades, lost opportunities, or more humiliation. Too often, the adult is defended while the child is left even more isolated.
Why It’s So Harmful
We often teach children to “respect adults,” but respect should never mean tolerating abuse. Research is clear: adult bullying damages children’s mental and physical health. It erodes trust, fuels anxiety and depression, and can lead to PTSD or suicidal thoughts. Abuse does not build resilience – it leaves scars.
Steps Parents Can Take
If your child reports bullying by an adult, your calm and steady response matters most:
- Listen and document. Show care, ask questions, and note details.
- Stay calm. Model thoughtful action instead of anger.
- Include your child. Ask their opinion before acting – they’re most at risk for retaliation.
- Address it. Meet with the adult and their supervisor. Use school policies to frame the issue.
- Escalate if needed. Take concerns higher if dismissed. District leaders, school board, or advocacy groups like BRRC.
- Support your child. Explain what to expect and consider counseling.
Breaking the Cycle
Silence enables bullying. If abuse continues despite reporting, removing your child from that classroom or team may be necessary.
Dr. Jennifer Fraser suggests a broader “immunization strategy” that includes educating adults about mental health, assessing well-being regularly, giving children language to express what’s happening, and getting bullies the help they need.
Our Commitment
At BRRC, we believe it is always the responsibility of adults to stop bullying – especially when the aggressor is another adult. If your child has been bullied by an adult and the school has not acted, please reach out to us.
No child should ever be bullied. And when the harm comes from an adult, our children need us most.
“There is zero research that provides evidence that any form of bullying and abuse improves performance, increases health and wellbeing, makes an individual resilient or tough. It’s all a tragic myth.”
—Jennifer Fraser, Ph.D., author of The Bullied Brain
