National Making The First Move Day is an all-inclusive holiday born out of the life-long bullying, and more recent criminal victimization experiences of bullying and crime victim-survivor and thriver, Greshun De Bouse.
The day was created because of the bullying and bullycide pandemic that continues to affect kids and families around the world.
Because of the challenges she faced, she was able to identify and start making the first move after criminal victimization.
National Making The First Move Day Timeline
Early Use of “Bullying” for School Aggression
In the late 19th century, English-language newspapers and books increasingly use “bullying” to describe repeated intimidation among schoolchildren, helping shift the term from a general insult for a ruffian to a label for persistent peer harassment.
Dan Olweus Begins Systematic Research on Bullying
Norwegian psychologist Dan Olweus starts pioneering longitudinal studies of aggressive schoolboys and their peers, laying the groundwork for modern definitions of bullying as intentional, repeated harm within a power imbalance.
First Major Scientific Book on School Bullying Published
Dan Olweus publishes “Aggression in the Schools: Bullies and Whipping Boys,” one of the first comprehensive research-based works to frame bullying as a distinct social problem in schools that can and should be prevented.
Norway’s National Bullying Prevention Campaign Shows Impact
After several student suicides linked to bullying, Norway rolls out a nationwide school program based on Olweus’s model; evaluations report significant reductions in self-reported bullying and related antisocial behavior, proving large-scale prevention is feasible.
Finland’s KiVa Program Highlights Power of Bystanders
Researchers at the University of Turku introduce the KiVa anti-bullying program, which focuses on educating classmates to support targets and intervene safely; controlled trials in Finnish schools find marked decreases in bullying and victimization.
History of National Making The First Move Day
Greshun had a sincere desire and drive that everyone should be able to live free from such bully-related challenges.
This led to her establishing her bullying prevention and recovery coaching company – First Move Life Coaching LLC, and founding National Making The First Move Day!
Today, people of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to come together in making the first move towards bullying prevention. And enabling recovery in ALL it’s forms, including shaming, abuse, assault, and other criminal victimization!
Because people often do nothing when they don’t know what to do when moving towards bullying prevention and recovery in all forms, and they are more likely to move when others are moving with them, Making the First Move Day is the best facilitator of bullying prevention and recovery for people all over the world-though everyone’s first move may not be the same!
The goal of this day is that everyone around the world should be able to live freely without being bullied. So join us in celebrating liberation from bullying and its adverse effects on people everywhere every year.
How to celebrate National Making The First Move Day
National Making The First Move Day is an exciting day! It provides people with the power to reclaim their power and start making the first move towards bullying prevention!
The first way to celebrate this day is by taking the National Making The First Move Day Pledge at 12:00 am on April 7.
This is a commitment to accept oneself and others without judgment. Find at least one positive thing to say about oneself. As well as everyone that you come into contact with throughout the day.
Helping to stop bullying at it’s onset and intervene in some way when bullying is being observed in any form. Start making the first move towards bullying prevention and recovery in all forms-whatever that move may be.
Today encourages people to talk more openly about what has happened to them. To show solidarity and support start by wearing red, to symbolize passion. And white to symbolize new beginnings. You can also attend the official National Making The First Move Day Event.
At the event, you will meet with people worldwide who have come together to be empowered and empower others. Build each other up and enable each other to be more courageous to start making the first move.
At the event, there are speakers with Q&A on various types of bullying. As well as self-defense trainers, food, raffles, games for kids, photo opportunities, and so much more!
A highlight of the event is the pledge accountability facet. This is where attendees who have taken the pledge give verbal progress reports. This verbalization is focused on how they’ve been making the first move over the past year. This can be an incredibly empowering and cathartic process for everyone involved.
Facts About National Making The First Move Day
Bullying and Suicide Risk Are Closely Linked
Large international studies show that children who are frequently bullied have about twice the risk of attempting suicide compared with those who are not bullied, even after accounting for other mental health issues.
A 2019 meta-analysis of over 280,000 young people found that both victims and perpetrators of bullying had significantly higher odds of suicidal ideation and attempts, underscoring bullying as a serious public health concern rather than a “normal” part of growing up.
Childhood Bullying Leaves Lasting Mental Health Scars Into Adulthood
Long-term cohort research from the United Kingdom has followed children who were bullied at age 7–11 into their 40s.
Those who were frequently bullied were more likely as adults to experience depression, anxiety disorders, and worse self-reported general health, even after controlling for family background and childhood emotional problems, suggesting bullying itself contributes independently to poorer lifelong mental health.
Victims of Bullying Face Lower Educational and Income Outcomes
A landmark study using the British National Child Development Study tracked individuals from childhood to age 50 and found that those frequently bullied in childhood had lower educational attainment, were more likely to be unemployed, and earned less as adults than non-bullied peers.
The authors estimated that the economic and social costs of childhood bullying ripple across decades, affecting productivity and burdening health and social services.
Bystanders Can Dramatically Shorten Bullying Incidents
Observational research in schools has shown that bullying episodes typically end within about 10 seconds more than half the time when peers step in to defend or distract, yet students only intervene in a minority of incidents.
These findings have led many anti-bullying programs to train and empower “upstanders,” since peer action can be one of the fastest ways to de-escalate situations before adults even arrive.
Cyberbullying Magnifies Risk Because It Follows Victims Home
Unlike traditional bullying that is often confined to school grounds, cyberbullying can occur 24 hours a day on phones and social media, reaching victims even in what should be safe spaces like their homes.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that teens who experience electronic bullying have higher rates of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness and are more likely to skip school, which can compound academic and emotional difficulties.
Supportive Adults and School Climate Buffer the Harm
Research synthesized by the U.S. Department of Education shows that students who feel connected to at least one caring adult at school and who perceive clear, consistently enforced anti-bullying rules report lower rates of victimization and fewer mental health symptoms.
Positive school climate, including teacher intervention and peer norms that reject cruelty, appears to reduce both the frequency of bullying and its psychological toll on those who are targeted.
Bullying Victimization Is a Global Problem, Not Just a Local One
The World Health Organization’s surveys across dozens of countries find that in many nations more than 1 in 10 adolescents report being bullied at least twice in the past month, with some regions reporting substantially higher rates.
These data highlight that bullying is a widespread global issue tied to gender norms, social inequality, and school environments, rather than a challenge limited to any single culture or education system.
