Bullying

Three years after the premiere of the documentary Bully, the kids featured in the film have transformed from victims into victors.

 

‘Bully’ director Lee Hirsch was bullied as a kid in Long Island, New York.  He spoke of how he would get punched in the arm everyday when walking home; making his arm not colored with black and blue bruises, but a permanent yellow sleeve from the routine beatings.  He couldn’t even talk to his dad because his dad told him to just man-up. He felt alone. 

Amazingly, he made his experience an experience of reason and consequently, he made the documentary Bullyand created The Bully Project to inspire people into taking action against bullying.

Three years later, CNN’s Anderson Cooper follows up with Alex Libby, Kelby Johnson, and Kirk Smalley who were featured subjects in the Bully documentary.

Shane Koyczan "To This Day" http://www.tothisdayproject.comHelp this message have a far reaching and long lasting effect in confronting bullying. Please share generously.

Find Shane on Facebook - http://on.fb.me/Vwdi65
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"My experiences with violence in schools still echo throughout my life but standing to face the problem has helped me in immeasurable ways.

Schools and families are in desperate need of proper tools to confront this problem. This piece is a starting point." - Shane 

Find anti-bullying resources at http://www.bullying.org

Dozens of collaborators from around the world helped to bring this piece to life. Learn more about them and the project athttp://www.tothisdayproject.com 

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A new study discovers bullying, whether it's physical aggression or spreading rumors, can boost the social status and popularity of middle school

The family of Rehtaeh Parsons, the Canadian teen whose death sparked an international outcry last week, now claim they are being harassed by supporters of the four boys accused of raping their daughter.

 

"It just felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. How dare they do that?" Parsons told Global News. "My daughter is gone because of them, and they have the nerve to show up on my street and my community where my children live and keep harassing us."

The word “bullying” is overused — expanding, accordionlike, to encompass both appalling violence or harassment and a few mean words.

 

All the misdiagnosis of bullying is making the real but limited problem seem impossible to solve. If every act of aggression counts as bullying, how can we stop it? Down this road lies the old assumption that bullying is a rite of childhood passage. But that’s wrong.

Bullying is a particular form of harmful aggression, linked to real psychological damage, both short and long term. There are concrete strategies that can succeed in addressing it — and they all begin with shifting the social norm so that bullying moves from being shrugged off to being treated as unacceptable. But we can’t do that if we believe, and tell our children, that it’s everywhere.

In Emily Bazelon's latest book, "Sticks and Stones," the senior editor for Slate argues that the Internet and social media make teen bullying more vicious and challenging to control.

 

In an interview with the New York Times, Bazelon acknowledges parents’ role in navigating bullying as a tough one: “It’s obviously a huge challenge for parents, finding the balance you strike between protecting kids and expecting them to be a little bit tough, and learn how to stand up for themselves. It starts with that base idea that you have to know your kid, and know what they’re capable of, and give them room to do what they can do — not step in reflexively whenever there’s a problem. I think that builds some resilience in,” she says.
 

I'm struggling to stay in this world, because everything just touches me so deeply. I'm not doing this for attention. I'm doing this to be an inspiration and to show that I can be strong. I did things to myself to make pain go away, because I'd rather hurt myself then someone else. Haters are haters but please don't hate, although im sure I'll get them....

Identifying, Intervening, Surviving, and Preventing Bullying – A Series: Bullying Prevention Programs and Resources

 

There are literally thousands of bullying websites and programs available, however we chose to present only a handful of the best-known and most educational sites that provide superb material, videos and even activities for parents, children and educators.

 

Here are some of the best, and best-known, bullying websites and resources:http://bit.ly/R11UdA

Demi Lovato talks bulimia, being bullied,  on Katie.

It is the parents' job to help their children learn how to deal with difficulties in life.

 

...Because they are exposed to and observe high-conflict adults, children and youth of all ages model destructive behaviors at school. Parents are role models for their children and abusive behavior can be inter-generational. This direct link to bullying increases the pressure for separating parents to learn ways to reduce conflict in their interactions with each other.

If you are a separating parent who learns your child is bullying at school, here are some specific tips to help you remedy the situation:
If your separation includes high levels of conflict with the other parent, find ways to reduce the conflict.

Help your child learn productive ways to express anger.

Clarify that even though the family is going through a lot of changes, you will not tolerate bullying or mean-spirited behavior of any kind. Believe it or not, children of all ages find security in clearly set limits.

Stay actively involved in your child's school activities.

Make your child a priority during the separation.