Bullying What is it?

BULLY Aggressor Intentionally selects victims Violent tendencies Poor attendance/more likely to drop out of school May be bullied themselves by others

VICTIM Unsolicited Suffers more than just physical harm: Grades suffer High absenteeism Low self-esteem Depression Suicide

BYSTANDER Ignores Encourages Allows Fearful of revenge Fearful of being called a “snitch” Drawn into bullying by peer pressure

Bullying happens in many different forms. It is doing, saying or acting in a way that hurts someone else or makes him or her feel bad on purpose.

Bullying is: Intentional Repeated Hurtful Involves an imbalance of power

Bullying may be physical, verbal, emotional, social, threats, extortion, cyberbullying or sexual in nature.

Physical Bullying: includes punching, poking, strangling, hair pulling, beating, biting and excessive tickling.

Verbal Bullying: includes such acts as hurtful name-calling, teasing and gossiping. Words hurt and can be remembered forever.

Emotional Bullying: includes rejecting, terrorizing, extorting, defaming, humiliating, blackmailing, rating/ranking of personal characteristics such as race, disability, ethnicity, or perceived sexual orientation, manipulating friendships, isolating, ostracizing and peer pressure. In other words- leaving someone out of a group on purpose.

Extortion Bullying: includes intimidating or stealing someone’s money or possessions. Example: Shaking someone down for their lunch money.

Sexual Bullying: includes many of the actions listed in emotional bullying as well as exhibitionism, voyeurism, sexual propositioning, sexual harassment and abuse involving actual physical contact and sexual assault.

Cyber-Bullying: includes using computers, the Internet, mobile phones, , instant messaging, chatroom/bash boards, websites, voting booths, and text messaging to bully someone.

MYTH: “Sticks & Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” FACT: Words hurt: Verbal bullying happens more often than any other kind of bullying. FACT: Being called names can hurt someone for a lifetime.

FACT: Bullying hurts everyone. Victims can have their feelings hurt really badly or even be injured. Other kids may feel sad or scared, even if they are just watching a bully picking on someone else. FACT: Bullies come in all shapes, sizes and ages. Kids who bully often grow up to become adult bullies. Anyone can be a bully – even you.

FACT: Bullying happens to someone on the playground every seven minutes. FACT: Other kids are watching 85% of the time when on kid bullies another kid. FACT: Kids who bully often grow up to become adult bullies.

MYTH: Only boys bully. FACT: While it seems that only boys bully, girls bully just as readily boys. However, the type of bullying may be in a difference form.

FACT: Bystanders (other kids watching) have the power to help stop bullying. FACT: When peers step in; the bullying stops within ten seconds 57% of the time.

What can you do??? Stay calm. Tell someone. Get help. Hang out with others. Believe in yourself!!! Don’t get mad, get funny. Don’t be a bystander.

“No One Can Make You Feel Inferior Without Your Consent” –Eleanor Roosevelt