One Voice Can Make A Difference

Many individuals suffer from the long lasting effects of bullying and this may result in self-esteem issues, academic failure, and dangerous behavior. I think that if a person doesn't know how to prevent bullying it can seriously traumatize their lives. It is important that the victim and the bully both get help in any given situation. According to greatschools.org 60% of students identified as bullies in grades 6 to 9 are criminal convicts by the age of 24 years old. We don’t want any more criminals in our society, and let alone anymore bullied victims. It is also said to be that bullies are at a greater risk of suicide than the victims. I think that this is true because most of the bullies themselves have self -esteem problem or some other dramatic life problem. Many kids need attention and love whether it comes from friends, teacher, or family. In the school system there are many school counselors, and their jobs are to get involved in the lives of the students and reach out to them. A school intervention program can reduce bullying by 30- 50% that is amazing according to greatschools.org. 

I think that some parents fail to listen to their child so they never become fully comfortable expressing themselves until they come home with a black eye. The best thing you can do is interact with you child, sister, cousin, or brother etc. Always tell your child to avoid violence if possible and go to the first adult available,

and if nothing is done let the parent know. Take part in the change to make things better. I think that nothing sucks more than going to school feeling unsafe and alone. Some parents believe that the child can handle it by themselves and this is an instinct many parents have. This is not true because their needs to be some type of authority present in the situation. 

One thing I can suggest is to never have your parent confront the bully by themselves, and this is from personal experience. This is what you need to do: get a teacher, police officers, or counselor and have them sit down and contribute to the solution. Most of the time the parents will automatically take their child’s side and nothing will get accomplished. I think this can really add more fuel to the fire if not solved appropriately. However the other person or mediator can contribute their ideas and really get things handle without being too biased. Pacer's National Bullying Prevention center provides many resources to inform individuals about bullying. They provide you with stories from victims, national events, news, and videos. So take the time to look at the website and get involved you won’t regret helping someone who needs you. When you show that you care you become very powerful and respected. Some people don’t stand up because they are afraid well don’t be I am here to tell you. I am a personal success story myself I thank my mother, and counselors at my previous college, and even police officers all that time who have helped me. 

Make sure you schools and other schools have a no bullying policy. I do know that Northern Illinois University has an event coming up on December 4^th that helps solve the issue of workplace bullying, and this

could be beneficial to someone who has this problem. Whether you are the victim or you know one it is important to go and support the cause. Orange is the color of bullying prevention and I encourage you to wear orange every October which is bullying awareness month or better yet all year around. You can simple do this by putting orange ribbon in your hair, wearing an orange wristband, or sporting an orange t-shirt. It’s all about the orange swag. Just think of it as saving a life. Every time you wear orange you bringing bullying awareness to the community.

Citation:

Stop Bullying Kids: http://eschooltoday.com/bullying/how-to-prevent-bullying.html

McGruff bullying sign: http://www.mysecuritysign.com/School-Signs/McGruff-No-Bullies-Sign/SKU-K-4063.aspx

Orange Wristband picture: http://www.orangeuhappy.com/category/standard/