So upset to hear of the death of Amanda Todd. My heart goes out to her friends and family.
Bullying needs to end. Now.
Please, have the courage to speak out against bullying, even if you’re the only voice going against the crowd, or you’re worried about getting targeted for standing up. It’s not right or “cool” to belittle someone because they are “different”, “uncool”, or anything else. It’s COOL to care about people, to stand up for what you believe in and to be a kind person, not to go along with a crowd who targets someone vulnerable to make themselves feel powerful.
I have BEEN the “bullied kid”, and luckily I was strong enough to leave it behind me, but the things people say and do can be awfully upsetting and difficult – especially when you feel as if no one understands. If you’re being bullied and feel you can’t tell anyone, please call someone.
There are anonymous helplines (Kids’ Help Phone in Canada, BeatBullying Cybermentors in the UK) where someone will listen, and don’t forget: people *do* care about you, even if it feels like the world hates you. You *will* grow up and things get better. High school is not the rest of your life – it’s just four or five years of horrible social hell.Please don’t give up. xx
Kids’ Help Phone (CANADA) 1-800-668-6868
Crisis Call Centre (USA) 1-800-273-8255
HOPELINE (USA) 1-800-442-4673
CHILDLINE (UK) 08001111
Youth 2 Youth (UK) 020 8896 3675
Here is Amanda’s video, which chronicles what she went through, in her own words. Everyone says this each time something awful happens, but let’s mean it. Let’s not let this happen again.
Note: The embed code for the video won’t work on my site. Here’s the link. http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/82845545/