• Heart Phoenix and Eileen Roy Download

Showing support for bullied students throughout the country is as simple as wearing orange. The River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding is sponsoring a march and rally against bullying in schools Wednesday to kick off Conflict Resolution Week, which began Monday.

Unity Day is co-sponsored by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. Marchers and school children throughout Alachua County are encouraged to wear orange to show their support against bullying. Children from the Gainesville area will share their stories and talents at the rally. Mayor Craig Lowe, Sadie Darnell, and other public figures will speak. Lowe signed a procolamation naming Oct. 15 to 18 “Conflict Resolution Week.” The peacebuilding center is teaching conflict-resolution skills during that week at UF, including peer mediation, guest speakers and a showing of the movie “Bully.” The center focuses on restorative justice, which focuses on resolving the harm caused by conflicts how to prevent future issues. It advocates a community-oriented way of dealing with conflicts and crimes. Katherine Hahn edited this story online