Are bullying prevention assemblies worth it?

Over the past five years I’ve done bullying prevention assemblies at over 800 schools, and sometimes people will ask me, “Are bullying prevention assemblies worth it?” And the most common way to respond is something like, “Ya know… if it helps even one person, then it’s totally worth it!”

But is that really true? One the one hand, I agree with this idea because every life has infinite value. On the other hand, if it only helps one student, is it worth the financial investment and the time investment for the school? Honestly, I couldn’t live with myself if my school assemblies and bullying prevention curriculum only helped a small number of kids and teens. Thankfully I’ve seen the proof and received the thank-you letters, so I don’t doubt the effectiveness of my program. But sometimes I still wonder…