Cory Monteith Anti-Bullying

"I didn't have any definition of self. I never fit in, so i started pretending i was other people. I'd find people i thought were cool and dress how they dressed, talk how they talked, do whatever they were into." This led to a period of drugs and alcohol. When his family gave him an ultimatum to get clean or they'd report him to the police. Cory said,"I was done fighting myself. I'm going to start looking at my life and figure out why I'm doing this." He quit using, got a job, and surrounded himself with sober people and was the star of Glee. Cory Monteith died on July 13th 2013.

Source : http://www.heyugly.org/celebrityquotes.php

Listen to People, talk to people and do something to help others.

what about feelings

 Okay, I'm sure we're all tired of seeing the word bullying on here, so let's talk about something else--feelings. Feelings hold a huge emotional impact when one is being victimized or is victimizing. There will always be feelings behind it, a reason, so don't degrade yourself by doing the same as them; instead, realize exactly what it is and work to help them if they need it! Looking at it from the bully's point of view is important too!

Percentages of bulling

1 out of 4 teens are bullied 
As many as 160,000 students stay home on any given day because they're afraid of being bullied
682,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month
80% of the time an argument with a bully will end up in a physical fight 

Strong

"Never be ashamed of what you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion that you want, and to do what makes you happy. That's my life motto." 

Demi Lovato

Bullying Stops Here.

Watch yourself either rise or fall

Watch your thoughts,they became words,
Watch your words, they became actions,
Watch your actions, they became habits, 
Watch your habits, they became character, 
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
                                              -Patrick Overton             

Don't Hate

DEFINE YOURSELF

Bystanders

You think I mean it when I say it's OK? :-(

Bullying does NOT only happen at school!

Listen guys, i've been bullied throughout my whole life by co-workers, other students, and some people who i even referred to as "friends". Many of the times, i'd simply just play along when i was bullied just so i could fit in with the rest of the group. But really, it does hurt-and a lot. And i'm not alone, millions of other people around the world are in the same position i used to be in.
 
                                  


From washingtonpost.com,

Anti-bullying legislation just approved by the Michigan Senate has been denounced by the father of the teenager for whom it was named because, he said, it actually allows bullying to continue.

The legislation, called “Matt’s Safe School Law,” was named after Matt Epling, an honor-roll student who killed himself at the age of 14 in 2002 after being assaulted by bullies at his school.

The draft law, which passed the state Senate with 26 Republican votes against 11 Democratic votes and now advances to the lower house, includes language inserted before the vote that says the bill “does not prohibit a statement of a sincerely held belief or moral conviction” of a student or school worker.

Activists say that the provision gives bullies license to prey on other students — especially those who are gay, lesbian or transgender — and, at least as important, gives bystanders who should be trying to stop bullying an excuse not to intervene.

The boy’s father, Kevin Epling, posted a video to YouTube in which he says he is “ashamed” of the legislation and that it will create more strife in schools.

The law, he said, “would basically say it is okay to bully or to ignore instances of bullying based on your own religious beliefs and/or moral convictions, which is contrary to the rest of the bill and it is definitely contrary to what I’ve been telling students, to step in and step up when they see this taking place in their school. As a society, we need to decrease the bystander effect, those who sit idly by and watch as things happen.”

                

Words Hurt

Words Hurt

Real Story 

Karen Klein, a 68-year-old bus monitor, was tormented by her students with profanity, insults and threats during one bus ride. One student documented the 10 minute ordeal, uploaded it to YouTube and the video went viral.

After Max Sidorov, a Toronto nutritionist, saw the video, he, along with the fundraising site Indiegogo, managed to raise a stunning $700,000 in support of Ms. Klein. She plans on using part of the funds toward the Karen Klein Anti-Bullying Foundation.

http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/serving-justice-8-acts-of-bullying/

Outcome of Bullying

Keeping calm is what Bullies lack

Bullying of Muslims on the Rise

Bullying of Muslim Students on the Rise

 A new report is shedding a disturbing new light on school bullying involving Muslim students in California. The Council on American-Islamic Relations says 1 in 5 Muslim students suffer bullying because of their religion.

Fatima Abdo, 15, and her mother won't forget a bullying incident last spring at Fatima's high school in the Eastside Union High School District of San Jose-- but it didn't involve a fellow student. It was one of her teachers.

"Everyone was chatting and then my teacher just turns to me and she's like, 'If you don't stop talking, I'm going to rip that thing off your head.' And then the whole class was so silent and shocked. They all gasped," Fatima recalled.

The teacher was talking about Fatima's hijab, an Islamic head scarf. Fatima told her principal, who took quick action and called a meeting with the family and teachers. "She said she was joking around or whatever and I told her that that was something she should never joke about, especially such a sensitive thing,'" Fatima recalled.

A complaint was made to the Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations which resulted in sensitivity training for the school's staff. The episode is part of a new report called "Growing in Faith" about bullying of Muslim students in California where 500 students were surveyed.

"What we discovered was 50 percent of the students, 1 out of every 2 students reported that they had been teased on account of being Muslim," Rachel Roberts told ABC7 News. The report also found 1 in 5 students were unsure about participating in classroom discussions on Islam. Others were unsure if teachers respected their religions.

"Initially hurt and pain, and then a bit of anger," said Fatima's mother Pearl, describing the emotions felt after the incident. "And then, we've got to do something about this, a plan of action."

Fatima's mother was happy with how her daughter's school handled their bullying incident. The council hopes all schools will look at the new report, which calls for more education and greater tolerance for Muslim students.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=9366801

Bullies aren't anything but

                                     REMEMBER ME ?                          

REMEMBER ME?

I AM THE BOY WHO SOUGHT FRIENDSHIP;

THE BOY YOU TURNED AWAY.

I THE BOY WHO ASKED YOU

IF I TOO MIGHT PLAY.

I THE FACE AT THE WINDOW

WHEN YOUR PARTY WAS INSIDE,

I THE LONELY FIGURE

THAT WALKED AWAY AND CRIED.

I THE ONE WHO HUNG AROUND

A PUNCHBAG FOR YOUR GAMES.

SOMEONE YOU COULD KICK AND BEAT,

SOMEONE TO CALL NAMES.

BUT HOW STRANGE IS THE CHANGE

AFTER TIME HAS HURRIED BY,

FOUR YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THEN

NOW I’M NOT SO QUICK TO CRY.

I’M BIGGER AND I’M STRONGER,

I’VE GROWN A FOOT IN HEIGHT,

SUDDENLY I’M POPULAR

AND YOU’RE LEFT OUT OF THE LIGHT.

I COULD, IF I WANTED,

BE SO UNKIND TO YOU.

I WOULD ONLY HAVE TO SAY

AND THE OTHER BOYS WOULD DO.

BUT THE MEMORY OF MY PAIN

HOLDS BACK THE REVENGE I’D PLANNED

AND INSTEAD, I FEEL MUCH STRONGER

BY OFFERING YOU MY HAND

I am 

I am the person you bullied at school,
I am the person who didn’t know how to be cool,
I am the person you alienated,
I am the person you ridiculed and hated.

I am the person who sat on her own,
I am the person who walked home alone,
I am the person you scared every day,
I am the person who had nothing to say.

I am the person with hurt in her eyes,
I am the person you never saw cry,
I am the person living alone with her fears,
I am the person destroyed by her peers.

I am the person who drowned in your scorn,
I am the person who wished she hadn’t been born,
I am the person you destroyed for ‘fun’,
I am the person, but not the only one.

I am the person whose name you don’t know,
I am the person who just can’t let go,
I am the person who has feelings too,
And I was a person, just like you.

Real life bullying story:

http://www.newser.com/story/173248/family-of-bullied-boy-12-sues-over-his-suicide.html

A 12 year old boy who committed suicide because of bullying. 

Real Life Story 

TAMPA, Fla. - For nearly a year, as many as 15 girls ganged up on 12-year-old Rebecca Ann Sedwick and picked on her, authorities say, bombarding her with online messages such as "You should die" and "Why don't you go kill yourself."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fifteen-bullies-pushed-girl-suicide-authorities-article-1.1455917#ixzz2tytmhIBT

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1455913.1379166420!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/sedwick15n-4-web.jpg

Live On By Rose Heart

When I think about my life, I soon begin to cry.
And all I want to do is lie down and die.
The hurtful words and scars on my heart.
I feel torn apart.

Get over it they all said, it's not that bad.
And the fact that they have no idea what it feels like makes me mad.
Because words hurt and there's nothing you can do,
That pain of everything they throw at you will never sweep through.

Depression is not a joke; it's not something you take lightly.
This world is gripping you tightly and you can't escape, 
And everyone thinks you're a mistake.

Hold on to that last string of your heart.
Don't give up on people.
Even if there is one person in your life who appreciates you.
Who accepts you for who you are.
So live on and don't let the railroads of life confuse you.
Live on and be proud of who you are and not who people want you to be.

Sited- http://www.bestteenpoems.com/poem/live-on-and-be-proud

How frequently effective bullying is...

Another Real life story:

http://www.newser.com/story/175917/2-girls-arrested-after-bullied-girl-kills-herself.html

2 girls get arrested b/c of bullying a 21 year-old who committed suicide

the victim: poem

The Little Girl's Land

© Emmeline Francis

Not so long ago
In a land closer than it seems
There lived a silly little girl
With a pocketful of dreams

She was as hated as was loved
It didn't matter what she'd done
But the one thing that she knew
Was that she hurt everyone

Too fat and too ugly
Too judgmental and a fool
She could never just be perfect
And society was cruel

It carried on for years
And nobody could decide
Whether this silly little girl
Should get to live or die

So the leader told his people
That something must be done
And the poor thing should be dealt with
So it couldn't hurt anyone

At first there was denial
But the number quickly bloated
Soon even the voice of mother
Left the situation quite outvoted

But when asked ''who would do it?''
As the people shouted blame
Not a single one would volunteer
And hung their heads in shame

A tiny voice right from the back
Suppressed by a nation's shouts
Announced that she could do it
No longer harbouring any doubts

Every single citizen watched
As a blade was drawn with care
The girl aligned it to the heart
To breathe she didn't dare

Instantly her dull eyes closed
A single push was done
Hushed whispers silenced throughout the land
Watching her smiling tear drops run

When mother found her in the morn
Dried tears still on her face
She knew with greatest certainty
She was not in a better place

How hopeless she was lying there
With blood on the bedroom floor
The only thing to take comfort in
They couldn't hurt her anymore

Mother watched the coffin
Now the girl was quite stone dead
Such a pity, society sighed
That the land was within her head.

Take heed of this done story
For the many who ruin themselves
Though words might seem so innocent
Our worst critics are ourselves

Read more at http://www.bestteenpoems.com/poem/the-little-girls-land#ZJlGHp3d5YLbj39C.99

Black Heart a Poem by Shane

The pain, it hurts it rips and tears 
Unstoppable, but I don’t care 
All the lies about me, all the tears that have come 
They’re all from you and that thing you’ve become 
Don’t you remember when we were young and small? 
All the secrets we shared, do you remember at all? 
Now my hatred for you is growing strong 
Every insult you throw, is it really so wrong? 
That your face makes me shake 
How much more can I take…..? 
Now, do you see what you’ve done? 
This happened to ME, congratulations you’ve won 
Now are you glad that you killed me inside? 
Because now I wish I had really died 
Of course you don’t, you’ll never know 
All the pain and suffering I’ll never show 
My heart isn’t mending 
Because of all you’re bending 
It’s form slithering back 
Only now it’s black……

This poem is about a young boy called Shane. In the poem he describes the way his friend turned out to be his bully. Shane describes that he has been friends with this person from a very young age.  He has described  how he felt, and how his feelings were hurt through out this. He ends his poem, with a strong statement, saying that his heart is black, its destroyed. 

Sited-http://www.bestteenpoems.com/poem/black-heart#ixzz1jAnUNl9k

the issue of confidence

 _{There are many elements to bullying. One can be said to be confidence, in which the victim either stands up for himself or does not. This can have a lasting effect on both the bully as well as the prey; it can also change either's outlook to bullying. For example, if the bully is simply trying to fit in, and you stand up to them and explain that to them, then they may or may not happen to change their ways and turn over a new leaf. Additionally, from the perspective of the bullied, they may also change into stronger and firmer people after overcoming the hurdle of bullying. In ways, there are pros; however, ultimately the cons outweigh whatever small positive glimmers in the midst of all the negativity.}

A new survey that tracks bullying directed at Muslim children and teens in California finds that half have at some point been subject to "mean comments and rumors" over their religion.

The survey was put together by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national American Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. It surveyed 471 Muslim students in California public schools between the ages of 11 and 18.

For the most part, students reported "a healthy school environment in which they were comfortable participating in discussions about their religious identity" and in which they felt safe and respected by teachers and safe at school. But there were problems, too.

Of the 5o percent who reported social bullying, along the lines of name-calling and other remarks, it was "stuff you would expect," said report author Fatima Dadabhoy, a staff attorney and civil rights manager and staff attorney with CAIR in Anaheim.

"Being called a terrorist, or 'What is that thing on your head?'...girls being called a towel-head, or jokes like 'Don't throw that bomb on me' or 'Don't bomb us today,' " Dadabhoy said. "These were the most common ones we heard about."

Ten percent of the kids surveyed reported physical bullying like slapping, kicking, or punching. Girls, in particular, were subject to bullying for wearing their hijab, the traditional Islamic head scarf: At least 17 percent of girls who wore hijab said they had experienced "offensive touching or pulling" of their hijab, four percent of whom reported experiencing this often.

The report quotes an 11-year-old girl from Daly City: "Many of my friends and I are a little afraid to wear a hijab because we are worried about being bullied."

In addition, 21 percent of the students said they'd experienced some kind of cyber-bullying tied to their religion.

Interestingly, Dadabhoy said, bullying incidents reported seemed to spike around September 11, when classrooms address the terrorist attacks that took place in New York and Washington, D.C. that day in 2001.

"Just the repeat references to that made us realize that during this time is when it becomes a problem," Dadabhoy said.

As classes are focusing on the national tragedy, Dadabhoy said, Muslim students may be feeling especially sensitive to begin with. And, she said, "if (other) students find they are the first Muslim they have encountered, they are going to question them."

This may not be done necessarily out of malice, but simple curiosity. But a Muslim child or teen "might not have the tools to construct an appropriate response, or to be the voice for an entire community," she said.

One noteworthy takeaway from the report is that students should be encouraged to report bullying incidents like these, even if classmates insist they are "jokes." Only 32 percent of students who reported being bullied reported this to a teacher or principal; only 42 percent reported it to their parents. Many respondents said they simply internalized the bullying.

The report quotes one boy, a 15-year-old from Perris:

"Most of the time I am made fun of because of my religion. It is just a joke and the kids say that they are just 'messing around with me.' I just ignore it, but it does get annoying."

The report recommends that students report bullying incidents, that parents who learn about or suspect their child is being bullied take action and report it, and that school administrators stay on top of these problems. From the report:

It is important for American Muslim students to know and effectively assert their rights on campus and, more importantly, for educators to know their responsibilities to ensure a safe and tolerant school environment for everyone.