Let’s work as a community to fight bullying

“Be the change you want to see in the world." - Gandhi

Bullying is something we have all faced at one time or another in our lives. I remember as a child the school monster and the fear one felt if his attention was focused on you.

But fear and intimidation is not confined to the school yard. Many face it on the street or at work. Most victims are reluctant to talk for fear of being labelled and facing further harassment.

Cyber-bullying has become rampant, especially with the growing use of on-line communities, where rumours grow and spread like wildfire often targeting one person. Gang-related terrorism is also on the rise.

Bullies come in all ages and from all groups. It can be one-on-one or many people at one time through the use of power and money. Intimidation is often done in silence – people know it is going on but no one talks about it. Bystanders may not know what to do to help and victims may be too ashamed to speak up. And in many cases bullies thrive on secrecy and being under the radar.

The effects of bullying can be far reaching and have debilitating effects on individuals and families as the intent of bullying is to make victims think they are different, not liked and alone. It can keep children and adults from doing the things they enjoy in life.

Bullying is described as

• making one feel bigger by making someone else feel smaller
  
  
• putting others down because of race, religion, size, gender, sexual orientation, class, abilities or appearance
  
  
• deliberately acting in a way that makes someone else fearful
  
  
• continuing to tease after being asked to stop
  
  
• pushing to have ones own way even though one knows it damages someone else.
  

So - how do we stop it?

It is very important to acknowledge the problem and talk about it.

We can all help end bullying – but it takes a community to do it. The biggest hindrance to alleviating bullying is inaction – don’t stand back and watch; stand up to let the bully and others know that their behaviour cannot be tolerated. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away. If you know someone who has been bullied, be their friend and let them know they are not alone.

Bullies in Haldimand and Norfolk have now been put on notice! ‘Name It 2 Change It’ has been officially launched to provide information and coordination for all to get involved.

The aim of the ‘Name it 2 Change It’ campaign is to talk about the issue and to have our communities come together to find solutions and to generate dialogue to help end this growing trend.

I applaud the work of ‘Name It 2 Change It’ and their partners. I would encourage everyone to get involved in the campaign – to learn more about events, please visit www.nameit2changeit.ca.

In conclusion, one must also keep in mind that bullying affects the bully and their family. No one would want to know that their child and or family member is bullying another person. Often times bullying is a deeper issue than just one of being mean – it can signify they have insecurities about themselves, they have bullied themselves or haven’t learned to be empathetic toward others.