"Move 2 Stand" program is teaching South Bend students how to deal with bullying

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A South Bend school took bullying awareness to another level with some training for athletes.

Washington High School used the movement "Move 2 Stand" to help athletes understand exactly what bullying is and how it can influence or harm others.

Each athlete went through several workshops about how racial slurs and hate words can constitute as bullying.

Athletes also learned what it means to be a leader in a bullying situation.

School officials say students are never too young to understand empathy.

“A lot of time we think that young people know how to treat each other but they don't. So we're teaching empathy. We're teaching those leadership skills and we encourage them to really be that beacon of light and give someone hope who's walking through the path of darkness,” said Erick Johnson, Vice President of Youth Development for Stars Nashville.

The "Move 2 Stand" training has been used in several schools across the nation.