Although in today’s society bullying has received a significant amount of attention, bullying has been around for many generations. In fact, if you were to ask your parents or grandparents about bullying you may be told a few interesting stories of what they remember about bullying when they were younger. You may discover that although the terms often associated with bullying and the method of bullying may have progressed over the years, bullying in essence remains to be the same. Needless to say, your parents, teachers, mentors, and family are concerned about you due to the number of teens that are bullied on a daily basis.
Did you know on any given school day approximately 160,000 students in the United States stay home because of bullying (http://www.kidpower.org/library/article/bullying-facts/)? Bullying can consist of unwanted physical, verbal, or social behaviors. The repetition of these unwanted behaviors makes it bullying. These unwanted behaviors are commonly threats, rumors, and physical and verbal harm done to another person (http://www.stopbullying.gov/ what-is-bullying/). Because of the rising number of bullying incidents, schools, parents, communities, and even you have a responsibility to take a stand against bullying.
Students Speak Out About Bullying
Bullying has become so convenient in today’s society teens can be bullied at the click of a mouse or the touch of the send button on a cell phone. As a result, many students are aware of what bullying is and how it can impact a person’s life. Meet Jason Govan Jr., a 7th grade student in Phoenix, Arizona who speaks out about bullying.
Teen Graffiti: Why do you think people bully others?
Jason: Bullies are the way they are because someone has or is bullying them or they have nothing better to do.
Teen Graffiti: How does bullying make a person feel?
Jason: Bullying can cause lots of hurt and insecurities in the person being bullied.
Teen Graffiti: How can you take a stand against bullying?
Jason: Tell people about programs that educate people about bullying or even starting a program at school.
You may be wondering how you can take a stand against bullying. Well, the Daily Activist suggests the need to increase enrollment in mentoring programs, providing opportunities for community service, and starting prevention programs within the school (http://www.thedailyactivist.com/ social-issues-new-bullying-statistics/). So, if you aren’t aware of any of these programs within your community or school ask your parents, counselors, or teachers so they know you want to actively be involved in learning about bullying. Being informed, increasing your awareness, getting involved, and knowing your options will help you in speaking out about bullying. By doing so you can help yourself and someone else.
By Brandi Hale
