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There is nothing easy about bullying. In fact, it can be a traumatic experience for teens who are targeted. The pain and distress victims experience impacts almost every aspect of their lives leaving them feeling lonely, isolated, vulnerable, and anxious. What's more, these consequences of bullying linger long after the bully has moved on to another target.

No one would argue that victims of bullying are subjected to stressful situations. Whether they are threatened, cyberbullied, or experience name-calling, these types of bullying have a lasting impact. And after prolonged exposure, victims of bullying can develop adverse reactions. Some victims of bullying will experience depression, eating disorders and even thoughts of suicide. But, they also can develop anxiety disorders.

Anxiety Disorders Bullied Teens Might Experience

The top four anxiety disorders that victims of bullying can experience include post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks and social anxiety disorder.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD occurs after a traumatic or life-threatening event, like being in a severe car accident or losing a close relative. It also can show up after repeated abuse or bullying. Kids with PTSD might experience flashbacks, have nightmares, startle easily and withdraw from others.

If the bullying your child experienced was particularly abusive and continued for a long time, there is an increased chance that he could develop PTSD.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Kids with generalized anxiety disorder are often plagued with worries and fears that distract them from their day-to-day activities.

For instance, they might complain that they have this persistent feeling that something bad is going to happen. To outsiders, people with GAD seem like chronic worriers but there are some physical symptoms as well. These include insomnia, stomachaches, restlessness, and fatigue. It is not uncommon for victims of bullying to worry or even expect that something bad is going to happen. After all, something bad did happen to them when they were being bullied. Consequently, this repeated stress can filter over into other areas of their life and become a generalized anxiety disorder.

Panic attacks. People who suffer from a panic disorder must deal with unexpected and repeated panic attacks. During an attack, they experience feelings of terror that strike suddenly without warning. Other symptoms might include sweating, chest pain, and rapid or irregular heartbeats. Left untreated, panic attacks can lead sufferers to avoid going out or doing things they once enjoyed. They worry that they will experience another episode. So they stay in, just in case they have another panic attack.

Social anxiety disorder. When someone is afraid of being humiliated or being seen negatively by others, they may have a social anxiety disorder.

People with this disorder are plagued with self-consciousness about everyday social situations. Their fear is that others will judge them. They also worry that the way they look or act will cause others to ridicule them. In severe cases, people with social anxiety disorder avoid social gatherings altogether. It is not surprising that victims of bullying would develop a social anxiety disorder, especially if they were repeatedly shamed or publicly humiliated. Their belief is that the embarrassment they experienced at school or at school functions will happen to them over and over again.

What You Can Do About Your Child's Anxiety

If your child is struggling with anxiety issues, there are some coping strategies that can be effective if your child's fears or anxiety attacks are not too severe.

For instance, some people find that drawing, painting or writing down their worries helps. Not only does this practice help them release the stress and anxiety, but it also redirects their mind to use a creative outlet for a very real emotion. Other options include teaching your child relaxation techniques, encouraging him to exercise, and engaging in prayer or meditation.

But when your child's fears or anxiety issues are significant enough that they are disrupting his life in some way, it is important to seek professional help. Your child's pediatrician can recommend a counselor who can determine the type of anxiety disorder that is present. A counselor also can help your child work through the bullying he experienced. Talking to someone about bullying is helpful for kids and a crucial step toward healing.

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There is nothing easy about bullying. In fact, it can be a traumatic experience for teens who are targeted. The pain and distress victims experience impacts almost every aspect of their lives leaving them feeling lonely, isolated, vulnerable, and anxious. What's more, these consequences of bullying linger long after the bully has moved on to another target.

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In our national bullying survey, 55% of young people surveyed have experienced social bullying. Of those who have been cyberbullied, 36% were left out on purpose and 51% had false rumours spread about them.
What is social bullying?
This sort of bullying is often harder to recognise and is often carried out behind the back of the person who is being bullied. It includes:

Lying, fake rumours and spreading gossip

Encouraging others to turn against someone

Leaving someone out constantly and encouraging others to do the same

Socially excluding someone online, cyberbullying, negative comments on posts and images

Damaging someone's social reputation or social acceptance

Using humiliating nicknames and continuing when asked to stop

It isn't easy for someone going through this to accept when the line crossed from being a prank or banter to persistent bullying. By the time you realise it is bullying, it may feel harder to seek support.
"Pulling faces, writing notes in class, telling everyone to not speak to me and Chinese whispers about me."* How it might make you feel
When you are faced with social bullying, your first instinct may want to isolate yourself and withdraw from all social situations, online and face to face. This is a natural emotion as you are trying to protect yourself from harm.

Emotionally, your self-esteem and confidence might be taking a knock and you may be experiencing anxiety and depression which can have a serious knock on your emotional and mental health and well-being. Another emotion you may feel is anger and this may develop into aggressive behaviour. The anger and frustration can feel destructive so getting help is important.
"Keeps being horrible to me about everything. He was my best friend. I can't move away because I would have no one as a friend. All my other friends gang up with him against me and I'm always the butt of the joke."*
All of these emotions are a process, it is a journey that you go through to help you understand how your feelings. It is important to try and speak to an adult you trust, such as your parents, a teacher or a relative perhaps. Seeking support can help you gain the strength you need to get the bullying stopped.
Why do they bully?
It is hard to fully understand the reasons behind why people feel the need to bully others. Some of the more common reasons are:

Attention seeking behaviour, doesn't matter if it is positive or negative.

Might be a need for them to think they can get what they want from being a bullying.

To impress others and think they are gaining respect and popularity amongst their peers

To punish people they are jealous or envious of, so targeting them for bullying.

Because others are doing it and they too afraid to speak up.

They may have low self-esteem, confidence and possible anger issues.

Been bullied themselves.

Whatever the reasons may be, it does not give anyone the right to make others feel low or bully others to make themselves feel better.
"Bringing you down commenting on everything you do trying to be better than you controlling over you."*
If you're worried your behaviour could be described as bullying, please see tips from The Buzz on making better choices and how to stop.
Tips on overcoming social bullying
Dealing with social bullying can be tough. Here are some tips:

Trust your instincts - Friends that care will never bully! The ones who do, were never your friends in the first place.

See the bigger picture - Easier said than done but just remember those who are bullying may have issues and although this is no excuse, it may be a reason as to why they are choosing to act this way.

Ask for help - Asking for help to get this stopped is not a weakness, even having someone to talk to can help enormously! Get your loved ones on board.

Get involved - Join a group that offers activities that you really like and that give you a chance to shine. You might even want to use your experiences to set up a peer support group for those who are being bullied.

Be yourself - Don't let the small minded actions of other dull your shine. Be kind, be confident and love who you are. The bullies will soon get bored when they don't get a reaction.

Please download our free social bullying poster by clicking here.
This article was developed in partnership with the Ben Cohen Stand Up Foundation * Comments from respondents via our National Bullying Survey

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In our national bullying survey, 55% of young people surveyed have experienced social bullying. Of those who have been cyberbullied, 36% were left out on purpose and 51% had false rumours spread about them. What is social bullying? This sort of bullying is often harder to recognise and is often carried out behind the back of the person who is being bullied.

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Physical bullying is a serious problem, affecting not only the bully and the victim, but also the other students who witness the bullying. Parents, teachers, and other concerned adults and young people should be aware of what a physical bully is and some of the ways to handle it.

There are many types of negative physical interactions that can occur between young people, including fighting, practical jokes, stealing, and sexual harassment. These things are not considered physical bullying unless:

The same victim is targeted repeatedly

The bully or bullies intend to hurt, embarrass, or intimidate the victim

The actions occur in a situation with a real or perceived imbalance of power, such as when the bully is stronger than the victim or has a higher social standing

In this context, physical bullying can take many forms:

Hitting

Pushing

Tripping

Slapping

Spitting

Stealing or destroying possessions, including books, clothing, or lunch money

Physical bullying may also cross the line into sexual harassment or sexual assault.
Physical bullying occurs most often at school, though it can also occur on the way to and from school and after school. Middle school is the age when bullying is most common, with almost all middle school students being affected directly or indirectly by bullying. This is an age where young people want more to fit in with their peers, making some students more likely to bully or condone bullying to fit in, while those who don't fit in stand out more as victims. Bullying can also occur in earlier grades, as well as through high school and even into adulthood.

Physical bullying is more likely to occur among males, though females may also be the perpetuators or victims of physical bullying. Bullies may have any number of reasons for bullying others, such as wanting more control over others, and wanting to fit in. Bullies are often physically stronger than their victims and have friends who condone their behavior. Students who bully others, however, often have trouble with self control, following rules, and caring for others, and are at higher risk for problems later in life, such as violence, criminal behavior, or failure in relationships or career.

Victims of physical bullying are usually physically weaker than the bullies, and also may be socially marginalized for some reason, including weight, ethnicity, or other characteristics that make it harder for them to fit in. Bullying can have serious consequences for the victim, leading to low self esteem, depression, trouble at school, and sometimes even violent behavior.

Some signs that a student may be a victim of physical bullying include:

Coming home from school with bruises, cuts, or other unexplained injuries

Having damaged clothing, books, or possessions

Often "losing" things that they take to school

Complaining of frequently not feeling well before school or school activities

Skipping certain classes

Wanting to avoid going to school or going to school a certain way, such as taking strange routes home from school or not wanting to ride the bus

Acting sad or depressed

Withdrawing from others

Saying they feel picked on

Displaying low self esteem

Mood swings, including anger or sadness

Wanting to run away

Trying to take a weapon to school

Talking about suicide or violence against others

If a student is a victim of bullying, show love and support to the child and explain that the bullying is not their fault, and that what the bully is doing is wrong. Talk to the victim to find out when and how the bullying is taking place, then talk to teachers and school administrators about the problem. Bullying should always be taken seriously. Don't encourage the victim to fight back. Often the best way to deal with bullies is to avoid them or react as little as possible. Unfortunately, with physical bullying this is not always possible. Staying with a friend or friends or where adults are supervising can sometimes help deter the bullying. If the victim is struggling with feelings of depression or anger, seek counseling to help them deal with their emotions.

If a student is being a bully, tell them that the behavior is not acceptable. All young people should be taught to respect others and that bullying is not acceptable.

Parents should talk to their children often about what goes on at school, including their friends and if they ever see or experience bullying. Parents should encourage their children not to support bullying, even by watching it, and to report it if it's happening. Depending on the situation, the student may be able to stand up to the bully, show support for the victim, or at least walk away from the bullying and report it to an adult.

Parents of victims or of bullies can also encourage schools to have stronger anti-bullying measures, like anti-bullying campaigns, careful adult supervision of students, zero-tolerance policies, and counseling for students involved in bullying.

Sources:

SAMHSA Family Guide, "Bullying Affects All Middle School Kids" [online]
Nemours, TeensHealth, "Dealing with Bullying" [online]
Consortium to Prevent School Violence, "Fact Sheet #2: Bullying Prevention" [online]
HealthNewsDigest.com, "Know the Signs of Physical Bullying" [online]

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Physical bullying is a serious problem, affecting not only the bully and the victim, but also the other students who witness the bullying. Parents, teachers, and other concerned adults and young people should be aware of what physical bullying is and some of the ways to handle it.

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Danny Moloshok/Reuters

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Anti-bullying advocates can sign the End of Bullying Begins With Me petition. They can buy a copy of the book Bullies: Playground Push-around and know that the proceeds are going to support bullying-prevention efforts. They can also educate others about bullying. Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of D.C.'s public school system, tried to do that yesterday when she shared this statistic with her Twitter followers:

More than 160,000 kids stay home from school each day to avoid being bullied. That's no way to receive a great education. Lets end bullying.
- Michelle Rhee (@MichelleRhee) October 2, 2013

More than 160,000 students missing school each day because they're afraid of getting picked on, taunted, beaten up. That's an astounding number. So astounding that it appears almost everywhere there's a conversation about bullying. The National Education Association listed it in a press release about last year's National Bullying Prevention Month. It's part of a National Association of School Psychologists PowerPoint on bullying. It's been cited in Time and Ladies Home Journal, mentioned in a New Jersey State Assembly press conference, and tweeted countless times.

The only problem is, the source of the "160,000 kids" statistic is murky at best. Several fact sheets and other documents credit the National Education Association as the source. When I contacted the NEA, a spokesperson said the stat comes from the National Association of School Psychologists. But, he warned, "it is at least a decade-old statistic." Trying to track down the NASP study, I came upon that PowerPoint I linked to above. I also found this PolitiFact item from 2011, which suggests the number dates back even further than 10 years--and that it was never a particularly robust statistic in the first place:

Katherine Cowan, a spokeswoman for the National Association of School Psychologists, confirmed the number came from her organization, "but nearly 20 years ago."

"The statistic is extremely old and not valid in 2011," said Cowan. "It's one of those things that the media really loved and grabbed onto and took on a life of its own."

Cowan said researchers calculated the number in the early 1990s from an annual survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but did not have specifics on how the statistic was determined.

The CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey, which has been conducted since 1991, asks high school students several health-related questions.

One survey question asks students if they did not go to school in the last 30 days because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school.

A survey released in 2010 found 5 percent of high school students nationwide stayed home from school on at least one day for those reasons. But the question doesn't ask why students felt unsafe, so the statistic could also apply to students who live in a high-crime neighborhood or fear crossing a dangerous intersection on their walk to school.

Bullying is a real problem. And it makes sense that people who are passionate about that problem want to draw attention to it with a big, eye-popping statistic. But spreading a poorly sourced number that doesn't hold up ultimately hurts the cause of ending bullying. It becomes easier for skeptics to ignore the problem.

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'160,000 Kids Stay Home From School Each Day to Avoid Being Bullied'

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An astounding, alarming, and basically false statistic

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Millions of Students Skip School Each Year Because of Bullying

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Explores the number of students who skip school because of bullying or cyberbullying. Includes research from over 5,500 middle and high school students.

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Bullying Statistics - Anti-Bullying Help, Facts, and More.

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BullyingStatistics.org is part of the Teen Help family. Get info & facts on bullying. Prevent cyberbullying, workplace, school and child or teen bullying today.

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Our Foot Soldier this week is 11-year-old Marcel Neergaard, whose experience being bullied in elementary school led him to become an activist for gay students and anti-bullying legislation. When Marcel heard about Tennessee Representative John Ragan introducing the Classroom Protection Act, also known as the "don't say gay bill," he was able to connect the Act's potential consequences with his own experiences. The act might prevent students from coming forward about anti-gay bullying in schools. When he found out Rep. Ragan was receiving a "Reformer of the Year" award from the organization StudentsFirst, he decided to get involved. His petition on MoveOn.org asking StudentsFirst to withdraw the award received over 50,000 signatures, and on Wednesday, StudentsFirst announced they "Stand with Marcel" and rescinded the award. We had a chance to talk to Marcel about the success of his campaign.

Marcel Neergaard: I was taken out of school because I was bullied in fifth grade. I was bullied because at that time I had already come out to myself, and to my family, and coming out to myself made it more obvious.

In sixth grade I was home schooled, and I was able to strengthen myself and make myself more capable of going back. That's why this year, in seventh grade, I'm going to go back to regular school.

LR: What made you want to get involved in the fight against Rep. John Ragan's award from Students First?

MN: Well, I was bullied in fifth grade and I really didn't want that to happen to anyone else. Doing all of this will prove to myself and to the bullies that they didn't win. It will prove to them and to myself that I can still make a change, and change the world.

LR: Were you nervous about making this video and sharing your story with the whole world?

MN: No, I was more excited, actually.

LR: How do you feel about the success you've had, and the award having been taken away from State Rep. John Ragan?

MN: Well, I'm really happy that StudentsFirst said that they stand with me. But, as I said, I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else. There's a lot of work to be done. What we've done so far is we're getting people on our side to try to stop bullying, but the bullying itself hasn't gone down that much. So there's still a lot of work to be done. We have to pass anti-bullying legislation.

LR: How do you feel about going back to school?

MN: I think that I'm ready to go back to school. I think it's going to be pretty exciting.

LR: Is there anything you want to say to young people out there who might be going through the same situation?

MN: This is an important thing to get laws passed on, to stop bullying. Everyone can do changes. I'm only eleven years old, and I made a change. And I think everyone can do that. Just because you're one small person doesn't mean you're nothing.

What happened to me in fifth grade was devastating. And my big goal is for that not to happen to anyone else. I'm really happy that StudentsFirst said they support me, but that's not where we can stop. We have to continue and keep going and keep fighting.

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Meet Marcel Neergaard, anti-bullying activist (and 11-year-old)

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Our Foot Soldier this week is 11-year-old Marcel Neergaard, whose experience being bullied in elementary school led him to become an activist for gay students and anti-bullying legislation. When Marcel heard about Tennessee Representative John Ragan introducing the Classroom Protection Act, also known as the "don't say gay bill," he was able to connect the Act's potential consequences with his own experiences.

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Bullying is a big problem. It can make kids feel hurt, scared, sick, lonely, embarrassed, and sad. Bullies might hit, kick, or push to hurt people, or use words to call names, tease, or scare them.

A bully might say mean things about someone, grab a kid's stuff, make fun of someone, or leave a kid out of the group on purpose.

Some bullies threaten people or try to make them do things they don't want to do.

Bullying Is a Big Deal

Bullying is a big problem that affects lots of kids. Most kids say they have been bullied or teased. Being bullied can make kids feel really bad, and the stress of dealing with it can make them feel sick.

Bullying can make kids not want to play outside or go to school. It's hard to keep your mind on schoolwork when you're worried about how you're going to deal with the bully near your locker.

Bullying bothers everyone - and not just the kids who are getting picked on. Bullying can make school a place of fear and can lead to violence and more stress for everyone.

Why Do Bullies Act That Way?

Some bullies are looking for attention. They might think bullying is a way to be popular or to get what they want. Most bullies are trying to make themselves feel more important. When they pick on someone else, it can make them feel big and powerful.

Some bullies come from families where everyone is angry and shouting all the time. They may think that being angry, calling names, and pushing people around is a normal way to act. Some bullies are copying what they've seen someone else do. Some have been bullied themselves.

Sometimes bullies know that what they're doing or saying hurts other people. But other bullies may not really know how hurtful their actions can be. Most bullies don't understand or care about the feelings of others.

Bullies often pick on someone they think they can have power over. They might pick on kids who get upset easily or who have trouble sticking up for themselves. Getting a big reaction out of someone can make bullies feel like they have the power they want. Sometimes bullies pick on someone who is smarter than they are or different from them in some way. Sometimes bullies just pick on a kid for no reason at all.

Bullying: How to Handle It

So now you know that bullying is a big problem that affects a lot of kids, but what do you do if someone is bullying you? Our advice falls into two categories: preventing a run-in with the bully, and what to do if you end up face-to-face with the bully.

Preventing a Run-In With a Bully

Don't give the bully a chance. As much as you can, avoid the bully. You can't go into hiding or skip class, of course. But if you can take a different route and avoid the mean kid, do so.

Stand tall and be brave. When you're scared of another person, you're probably not feeling your bravest. But sometimes just acting brave is enough to stop a bully. How does a brave person look and act? Stand tall and you'll send the message: "Don't mess with me." It's easier to feel brave when you feel good about yourself. See the next tip!

Feel good about you. Nobody's perfect, but what can you do to look and feel your best? Maybe you'd like to be more fit. If so, maybe you'll decide to get more exercise, watch less TV, and eat healthier snacks. Or maybe you feel you look best when you shower in the morning before school. If so, you could decide to get up a little earlier so you can be clean and refreshed for the school day.

Get a buddy (and be a buddy). Two is better than one if you're trying to avoid being bullied. Make a plan to walk with a friend or two on the way to school, recess, lunch, or wherever you think you might meet the bully. Offer to do the same if a friend is having bully trouble. Get involved if you see bullying going on in your school - tell an adult, stick up for the kid being bullied, and tell the bully to stop.

If The Bully Says or Does Something to You

Ignore the bully. If you can, try your best to ignore the bully's threats. Pretend you don't hear them and walk away quickly to a place of safety. Bullies want a big reaction to their teasing and meanness. Acting as if you don't notice and don't care is like giving no reaction at all, and this just might stop a bully's behavior.

Stand up for yourself. Pretend to feel really brave and confident. Tell the bully "No! Stop it!" in a loud voice. Then walk away, or run if you have to. Kids also can stand up for each other by telling a bully to stop teasing or scaring someone else, and then walking away together. If a bully wants you to do something that you don't want to do, say "no!" and walk away. If you do what a bully says to do, the mean kid is more likely to keep bullying you. Bullies tend to pick on kids who don't stick up for themselves.

Don't bully back. Don't hit, kick, or push back to deal with someone bullying you or your friends. Fighting back just satisfies a bully and it's dangerous, too, because someone could get hurt. You're also likely to get in trouble. It's best to stay with others, stay safe, and get help from an adult.

Don't show your feelings. Plan ahead. How can you stop yourself from getting angry or showing you're upset? Try distracting yourself (counting backwards from 100, spelling the word 'turtle' backwards, etc.) to keep your mind occupied until you are out of the situation and somewhere safe where you can show your feelings.

Tell an adult. If you are being bullied, it's very important to tell an adult. Find someone you trust and talk about what is happening to you. Teachers, principals, parents, and lunchroom helpers at school can all help to stop bullying. Sometimes bullies stop as soon as a teacher finds out because they're afraid that they will be punished by parents. This is not tattling on someone who has done something small - bullying is wrong and it helps if everyone who gets bullied or sees someone being bullied speaks up.

What Happens to Bullies?

In the end, most bullies wind up in trouble. If they keep acting mean and hurtful, sooner or later they may have only a few friends left - usually other kids who are just like them. The power they wanted slips away fast. Other kids move on and leave bullies behind.

Some kids who bully blame others. But every kid has a choice about how to act. Some kids who bully realize that they don't get the respect they want by threatening others. They may have thought that bullying would make them popular, but they soon find out that other kids just think of them as trouble-making losers.

The good news is that kids who are bullies can learn to change their behavior. Teachers, counselors, and parents can help. So can watching kids who treat others fairly and with respect. Bullies can change if they learn to use their power in positive ways. In the end, whether bullies decide to change their ways is up to them. Some bullies turn into great kids. Others never learn.

But no one needs to put up with a bully's behavior. If you or someone you know is bothered by a bully, talk to someone you trust. Everyone has the right to feel safe, and being bullied makes people feel unsafe. Tell someone about it and keep telling until something is done.

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No one likes a bully. Find out how to handle them in this article for kids.

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The effects of bullying in childhood can last a lifetime, both for the child who's bullied and for his or her tormenter.

But according to a Duke University study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, while young adults show long-term ill effects of having been bullied in childhood, those who did the bullying might actually be healthier than their peers in one important measure.

The report is based on findings from the longitudinal Great Smoky Mountains Study, which started in 1993 and followed 1,420 children from western North Carolina. Researchers interviewed the participants at up to nine points in time, first when they were children and adolescents (aged 9 to 16) and again when they were young adults (aged 19 to 21). The study was led by William Copeland, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

Earlier reports, including some from the Great Smoky Mountains Study, showed that young adults who were bullied as children can have long-term mental health problems such as anxiety disorders, panic disorder, and depression.

But this is the first indication that being the bully might actually be protective. The reason this escaped earlier notice, according to Copeland, is that previous work lumped together two kinds of bullies: those who were also sometimes bullied themselves (whom he calls bully-victims) and those who were "pure bullies."

Bully-victims "have the worst long-term emotional problems and poor health outcomes," Copeland and his co-authors wrote. By separating them out of the analysis in this new study, they wrote, it became clear that "pure" bullies "gain benefits from bullying others without incurring costs and may be healthier than their peers, emotionally and physically."
Protective Effect of Bullying?
The current study measured blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP)-a biomarker of chronic inflammation that's been linked to cardiovascular risk and metabolic syndrome -over several points in time during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. CRP is a sign of stress on the body, Copeland said, and "a harbinger of health problems down the road."

CRP levels increased in all participants as the study subjects got older, the scientists found. But those who had been bullied had the highest level of increase, and former bullies had the lowest. Those who were bully-victims fell somewhere in between, at about the same level as participants who had not been involved in childhood bullying at all.

"There seems to be a protective effect for the bullies because of this enhanced social status, or their success that comes along with being a good bully," Copeland said. The pattern was present even after controlling for body mass index, substance use, health status, and exposure to other types of trauma.

But Catherine Bradshaw, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence in Baltimore, Maryland, cautioned against overinterpreting the lower CRP levels in bullies. Rather than a health benefit, the lower CRP levels might just reflect a difference in the bullies' underlying biology, not unlike biological differences that have been seen elsewhere in children and adults with patterns of aggressive behavior.

And even if the Duke findings are evidence that being a bully might be good for people, at least along this one dimension, it shouldn't be read as a license to bully, she said.

There are "well-documented studies, both short- and long-term, showing that kids who are involved in bullying do have other problematic outcomes," Bradshaw said. For instance, children who bully are more likely to be members of gangs, carry a weapon, and have truancy problems.

Copeland added that the enhanced social status of bullies that he believes might account for their lower CRP levels can and should be achieved in more morally acceptable ways. Varsity sports, anyone?
Follow Sarah Zielinski on Twitter.

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Bullying's Long-Term Effects Seen in Both the Bullied and the Bully

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The effects of bullying in childhood can last a lifetime, both for the child who's bullied and for his or her tormenter. But according to a Duke University study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , while young adults show long-term ill effects of having been bullied in childhood, those who did the bullying might actually be healthier than their peers in one important measure.

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Stop Bullying on the Spot

When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it is not acceptable. Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time.

Parents, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy.

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StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on bullying, cyberbullying, prevention and response.

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Jaylen Arnold says some call him the "Alphabet Kid" - because he has a series of letters associated with his name.

They are TS, OCD and ASP and represent Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Asperger Syndrome - conditions he deals with that have resulted in bullying since he was a young boy.

But the 16-year-old from Lakeland, Florida, has found the strength to turn his experiences into fighting bullying nationwide.

"I want to be a voice for the kids who don't have one," he tells PEOPLE.

Now, he is getting recognition from Prince William and Prince Harry, who will be at a special ceremony held by the Diana Award charity at St. James's Palace in London on Thursday to commemorate their late mother, Princess Diana. Twenty young people from around the world who have made a "monumental impact" on society will be recipients of the Legacy Awards.

"It is really, really cool and I am still trying to process it," Arnold says before boarding his first flight out of the U.S for London. "I have never been out of the country, but here we are being invited to be awarded by them. I am honored by it."

Arnold's campaigning began early. "I started to begin getting bullied when I was 8 years old because of Tourette's, which is a neurological disability that I have that causes me to twitch and make weird noises," he says.

"I was a huge target for bullies. The things that they would say and do to me - and some other friends in that class - opened my eyes. All of us were too scared to tell anyone and it only got worse. Thousands upon millions of kids are being harassed each and every day and are too scared to say anything about it."

So, supported by his parents, Robin Arnold Eckelberger, 44, and Neil Eckelberger, 41, (he also has a sister Nina, 14), Arnold set up Jaylens Challenge, an online resource for support and information. The "next thing we knew the local newspapers wanted to do a story," he says. And then the national media came calling.

He now tours the country, giving talks about bullying and his condition and has spoken to around 200,000 kids in school assemblies. "Victims have come to us and told us we were inspirational, and that we have really helped them not being bystanders and to stand up for their friends. We have had bullies come up and say they have been affected in a good way."

Now he is being honored in the late princess's name. "Even though I wasn't born when she passed away, I have read about the humanitarian work that she did. She is one of the most selfless figures I have seen - and I can see the genuine soul that she had and the giving nature that she had," he says. "I feel like she was an angel."

He praised the princes as well since they do "a lot of anti-bullying work too - it is really cool to see that they are continuing what their mother has done," he adds.
FROM PEN: How Princess Kate Is Changing the Royal Parenting Rules
As he gains recognition, he is looking towards the future. His "No Bullies in School" events will kick in again when classes begin in the fall. "We try to talk to the young kids to start the school off right. We hope that we shine a light on everyone and show that kindness is the most important thing."

The campaigning has also helped him. "I was unsure about who I would be able to reach, but there are so many people around us who have helped me be more confident in my disability. Hearing the stories of other kids I am inspired by them, just as they may be by me."

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16-Year-Old Anti-Bullying Activist Wins Award in Princess Diana's Name: 'I Want to Be a Voice for Kids'

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Jaylen Arnold says some call him the "Alphabet Kid" - because he has a series of letters associated with his name. They are TS, OCD and ASP and represent Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Asperger Syndrome - conditions he deals with that have resulted in bullying since he was a young boy.

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Above is a picture of one form of bullying- physical bullying. Physical bullying can result in injury, depression, damage of self-worth, suicidal thoughts, and in some cases, may even lead to suicide itself.

﻿ Every seven seconds, a kid is being bullied. One third of today's youth have a fear of walking through the school gates monday to friday. Thirteen million children are bullied each year. At least 42% of kids have been bullied online and one in four have had it happen more than once. Two hundred fifty thousand teens report being bullied every month, but sadly, this is only the number of teens who do report it. Bullying in any form is harmful, and it is our responsibility to help stop it.

Bullying can happen in several different forms: verbal bullying, physical bullying, or cyberbullying, but each one is hurtful and can harm the victim more than the perpetrator thinks.

Studies show that kids that are bullied three times are likely to show symptoms of depression. Kids that have been bullied nine times are likely to have suicidal thoughts. Statistics from 2011 show that 60% of middle school students claimed to have been bullied, yet only 16% of staff believed that they had truly been bullied. 20% of high school students said that they had seriously thought about committing suicide in the past year, and one hundred sixty thousand students had stayed home to avoid bullying.

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Above is a picture of one form of bullying- physical bullying. Physical bullying can result in injury, depression, damage of self-worth, suicidal thoughts, and in some cases, may even lead to suicide itself. ﻿ Every seven seconds, a kid is being bullied.

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Emily-Anne Rigal was recently ranked as one of Newsweek 's 150 Most Fearless Women in the World. She's received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award from President Obama. And Lady Gaga has called the 19-year old her hero.

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So, what is the college student doing that's making such a splash?

Rigal is the founder of We Stop Hate, nonprofit dedicated to ending bullying by raising teens' self-esteem. Through posts on YouTube and other social media channels, the site gives bullying victims from all corners of the world a chance to open up about their experiences in a judgment-free zone.

In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, we spoke with Rigal about her efforts fighting back against bullying and starting an organization at age 16.

What was your motivation to found We Stop Hate?

When I was in elementary school, I was bullied so badly that I had to switch schools. At my new school, I developed a new group of friends who became an amazing source of encouragement. The happier and more supported I felt, the more I wanted to help others feel that same way. So I started posting videos on YouTube to stand up for other kids who were bullied to give all of us a voice and provide a source of support.

You started the organization when you were just in high school-which couldn't have been easy! What were the greatest obstacles you faced?

The biggest challenge that I faced was not having a road map of what to do next and having to figure it all out along the way. The two things I knew when I started We Stop Hate was that I loved YouTube as a medium and that I had a real passion for spreading this message, since it was so personal to me.

I remember thinking, "Can I start this organization? I'm only 16!" Now, seeing what has happened and what the organization has grown into has been amazing.

We all know bullying doesn't necessarily stop after finishing school. What advice do you have for professionals who may be dealing with bullying in the workplace?

First, you have to realize that bullies have their own issues, insecurities, and agendas. What they say is not what matters, it's how you interpret and react to the situation. Having a small group of co-workers who are supportive and can help you keep focused on the work is important.

What is your top tip for people who are having a tough time at work to boost their confidence back up?

Do esteemable acts! Whether it's complimenting someone or making a small gesture that can boost another person's confidence, it will in return change how you are feeling about yourself for the better!

How can others help you on your mission with We Stop Hate?

I am really excited for the next phase of We Stop Hate, in which we are taking We Stop Hate into schools and starting Anti-Bullying Clubs so that kids can have that in-person support.

We also just kicked off a partnership with The Body Shop Foundation whereby proceeds from the sale of the company's Dragon Fruit Lip Butter will go to three nonprofit organizations-one of which being We Stop Hate. The organization with the most votes gets the largest amount of proceeds, so we have our fingers crossed! To vote, visit The Body Shop on Facebook.

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Emily-Anne Rigal: The 19-Year-Old Who's Banishing Bullying

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Ranked as one of Newsweek's "150 Most Fearless Women in the World," Emily-Anne Rigal is taking a stand against bullying.

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After losing her vision, Molly Burke found herself in an even darker place. Now she's giving hope to anyone who's ever felt victimized—and showing them how to fight back.

Photo by Roberto Caruso

Molly Burke begins her speech with a blind joke. There is polite, hesitant laughter from the packed gymnasium at St. Joseph’s College, an all-girls school in Toronto. Is it okay to laugh at a blind joke, even if the teller is blind? But Molly keeps them coming. “You’re the most attractive audience I’ve ever seen,” she quips.

Molly stands, petite and poised, under the basketball net at one end of the gym. At 19, she is barely five feet tall, with fine, expressive features, long dark hair and a wary smile. Microphone in hand, she stares sightlessly out across her audience and, icebreakers over, tells her story without faltering, even when she gets to the tough parts. The rustling of 650 teenage girls in navy sweaters and kilts quickly subsides.

First, Molly describes what it’s like not being able to tell shampoo from conditioner in the shower, or how hard it is to put together a matching outfit when you can’t see your reflection in the mirror. But when she gets to the part about the bullying—and the one incident in particular that made her see suicide as the only way out—several girls cover their mouths with their hands. According to the latest stats, at least one in three of Molly’s audience members has been bullied, too. And while the girls were uneasy about laughing at her jokes, Molly shows them how the students at a school much like their own had no such reservations when it came to bullying a blind girl.

Doctors realize Molly is going blind

Molly wasn’t born blind. She and her brother, Brady, grew up in a pretty brick two-storey in the small, well-to-do town of Oakville, Ont. As a child, Molly climbed every structure in the playground, was an enthusiastic soccer player and rode her red two-wheeler with tasselled handlebars around the neighbourhood. But, even during those early years, there were signs that something wasn’t quite right with her eyes.

As a toddler, Molly’s depth perception was off; she’d reach for a cookie and miss. She also bumped into things a lot and didn’t see well in the dark. “Molly always wanted books held close and under a light when we’d read to her,” says her mother, Niamh (a Gaelic name, pronounced Neeve). “I found myself hanging a little closer to her — it was just an instinctive feeling that I had to be nearby.” At first, the doctors weren’t overly concerned. “I asked one doctor what we should do and he said, ‘Well, just give her more light,’ ” Niamh says. “So we thought, ‘Okay, that’s simple, we’ll give her more light.’ ”

On the soccer field

When Molly was four and a half, someone at the end of an ophthalmoscope finally noticed freckles on the back of her retina. Molly was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, degenerative eye disease that would eventually dim her world into darkness. “I remember having this sense of very deep sadness,” says Molly’s father, Peter. “One of the thoughts going through my mind at the time was whether she’d ever be able to see the faces of her own children. It just suddenly hit me, the meaning of what could happen.”

Niamh and Peter tried to make Molly’s childhood as normal as possible, but it wasn’t easy. Things that other kids took for granted, like Halloween, were especially hard. When Molly’s friends went trick-or-treating in a pack of princesses and caped crusaders, Peter had to take Molly on her own, guiding her from house to house and counting the steps up to each door. “Halloween just seemed to tear at our hearts the most,” Niamh says. “No matter how happy and okay we tried to make it, it always seemed a little sad and lonely.” But they took the advice of their daughter’s doctor, letting Molly decide what she could — and couldn’t — do, and when it was time to give up the things she loved, like soccer. “Whenever she got to that point, we always tried to find something else,” Peter says. “We’d start thinking, ‘What activity can she do now that she can maybe do for the rest of her life?’ ”

Molly on her bike

Molly learned to ride horses at a therapeutic camp and attended a ski school where she was guided to the bottom of the hill with verbal commands. She revelled in the rush of wind and the feel of snowflakes, like cold cobwebs, on her cheeks. Molly even bested her father on the slopes, skiing black diamond runs, fearless and fast. Her desire to do what everyone else was doing was paramount, despite her fading vision. Not long after her diagnosis, Molly was running with her friends in the playground when she slammed, face first, into a metal pole that everyone else had seen and run around. After that, she started having trouble sleeping. “The playground accident was a pivotal moment for Molly,” Peter says. “It shook her confidence and made her realize she was vulnerable.”

Before long, Molly — and the kids at school — began to notice she was different. When her classmates started learning French, Molly was taken to another room to learn Braille. “At the time, I just thought, ‘This is weird, nobody else is doing this,’ ” she says. “I refused to practise Braille — it made me different, and I just wanted to be like the other kids.” Molly did her best to carry on as normal. She became adept at navigating the world with the confidence of someone fully sighted, even memorizing the eye charts at the doctor’s office so that nobody realized how quickly her vision was deteriorating. But by age 13, Molly had lost her colours completely: Blue, brown, black and grey all blurred into one. Her world became increasingly shadowy and unfamiliar, and even bright, sunny mornings looked more and more like dusk.

That October, her annual eye exam began as it always did: Molly’s name was called and her doctor greeted her, as she had for the last seven years, with a cheery “How’s my princess today?” But then she sat down with Molly’s file in her hands. “None of us expected what happened,” Molly says. “She told us they didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to see. I started to cry.” On the way home in the car, Molly looked out at the blurred shapes of trees and telephone poles, wondering how much longer she’d see them.

When she got home and called her best friend to break the news, the response was, “Oh. That sucks.” Molly could have been calling to say she had the flu. She got the same reaction from the rest of her friends at school. “They couldn’t understand why I wasn’t the happy, bubbly Molly I’d been before — and it was hard to expect them to, because I didn’t understand either. I didn’t know why I couldn’t be happy, why I didn’t want to go out, why all I wanted to do was sleep.”

Molly learning how to ski

By November, the rumours had started among staff and students alike: Molly was faking it; she was an attention seeker. Although she had a cane, Molly got around fairly well and didn’t exhibit any of the ‘blindisms’ common to those who have never been sighted. Instead of sitting with her head down, hair falling around her face, Molly has impeccable posture, and when you speak to her, she turns to ‘look’ at you. Her parents were told she has a rare, almost bat-like gift for mobility, using echolocation to find her way in the dark. “When we walk down the street, Molly knows when we pass a tree,” Peter says. “I once asked her how, and she told me, ‘Dad, everything makes a noise, you just have to listen.’ ” But her ability often made things more challenging, because it confused people, Niamh says. “It was almost as though she was a little too good at getting around.” For Molly, school became a daily struggle to maintain her dignity. Her once tight circle of friends dwindled until there was no one left, and that’s when the bullying began.

On Molly’s grade 8 school trip to Ottawa, the friends she’d planned to share a room with no longer wanted her in it. When her teachers assigned her to the room anyway, the girls made her sleep under a desk. Molly turned 14 on the trip, and her roommates promised to make her look pretty. She couldn’t see that instead of applying makeup, they wrote on her face, and the “product” they put in her hair was whipped cream. “At that point, I felt so low that I didn’t have the confidence to stand up for myself. I wasn’t good at confrontation, and I felt cornered.” Molly went to her guidance counsellor for help, only to be told she had brought the bullying on herself. “That’s when I really realized I was in a bad situation: Not only was I being bullied, but nobody believed me.”

Molly thought getting a guide dog might make things better. During March Break, she went to the Mira Foundation in Montreal, a guide dog school that takes students under age 16. “Getting a guide dog isn’t easy,” she says. “People think, ‘Oh, you’re blind, you get a dog!’ But it doesn’t work like that.” Molly had to live at the school, being tested every day to show she was capable of doing everything from preparing her own meals to crossing the street. She had to prove she could care for both herself and a dog. Molly was the youngest in her class and the only one to pass.

With her family, who helped her get through the toughest times

Yet even with Gypsy, a Lab–Bernese mountain dog cross, by her side, things didn’t improve at school. Shortly after returning from Montreal, Molly fell down a flight of stairs but refused to go to the doctor. “I figured this would just be another thing they’d say I was faking,” she says. Molly walked on her injured foot for two weeks, until she wound up in a cast. She had to leave Gypsy at home, relying instead on her peers to guide her. Molly’s teachers had to assign her reluctant classmates to the task, and one day in May, the job fell to her circle, the group of girls who had been her closest friends only eight months before. When it was time for lunch, they informed her that they weren’t hungry. Instead of leading her to the cafeteria, they took Molly outside. “I was hungry, but it wasn’t up to me. I figured, ‘Well, at least I’m hanging out with someone.’ ”

It was sunny and warm, and Molly started to sweat in her heavy polyester school uniform as she struggled to keep up on her crutches. First the girls led her down the hill she’d tobogganed on every winter, then across the field she and her brother used to play soccer on. When she felt roots underfoot, she knew they had entered the woods at the edge of the field. By then, she was hot and out of breath. Molly sat down under the trees with her crutches beside her — and one of the girls grabbed them. Laughing, her classmates ran deeper into the woods. She heard someone suggest rolling the crutches in dirt; another voice said to roll them in water first so the dirt would stick. Finally, she heard a loud crack — the girls had broken her crutches against a tree. Molly heard the sound of their laughter fade as they ran back to class, leaving her alone and helpless on the ground. “I panicked. I couldn’t see, I couldn’t stand and I didn’t know what to do. I tried listening to see if I could hear anybody around, but there was no one. Then I remembered I had put my cellphone in my jacket pocket.”

Niamh was at work when her phone rang. Her daughter was sobbing and talking fast. “I just said, ‘Molly, slow down; I’m coming to get you.’ ” Niamh ran to her car and drove to the school. She doesn’t remember stopping for lights, or signs, or anything, really, although she knows she must have. When she got to the school, she didn’t go in. She just ran: down the hill and across the soccer field and to the woods. When she found Molly, she scooped her daughter up into her arms and carried her back to the car. Together they decided that Molly would never go back.

At first, Niamh didn’t tell anyone what had happened at the school — not the teachers, not even her husband. “Niamh got through it by herself,” Peter says. “I think she realized I would probably have gone ballistic.” Niamh used Molly’s health, which had been poor, as an excuse to keep her home. Besides, there was only a month left of school, and they had already tried talking to her teachers so many times before. “I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Niamh says. “It was enough. Everything was getting too out of control.”

So Niamh kept Molly at home — and watched her carefully. Before what happened in the woods, Molly had already begun cutting herself, wearing long sleeves and layers of bracelets to hide the marks on her arms. “It was scary, and I was ashamed, but I wanted to feel physical pain instead of emotional pain,” she says. “I felt so alone and sad. I just wanted not to exist.” Then Peter found searches for “how to kill yourself” on Molly’s computer. “The doctor told my parents to take away sharp objects, pills and anything I could use to strangle myself,” Molly says. “I felt like I was in a bubble, constantly being watched. I wasn’t even allowed to close my bedroom door.”

Molly’s doctors told Niamh and Peter to do anything they could to bring joy back into her life. “I’d read a lot of books on positive thinking and knew I couldn’t let my thoughts turn negative, because then I might crumble,” says Niamh. “I told Molly, ‘We’ve got to figure out what you need, what you want, what the next step is.’ And Molly knew. She said, ‘Mom, I’m never going back there; I need to find another school.’ So we immediately went out and looked at schools. Anything she came up with, I’d say, ‘Okay, we need to do something about it.’ I just kept reminding her: ‘There are ways out; you’re not trapped.’ ”

Molly transferred to a school for the blind for grade 9. “I thought it would be a place where I could start focusing on myself and stop trying so hard to help everyone else understand.” And, at first, it was. Molly’s greatest passion was music, and she started writing lyrics. “It was my healthy new way of getting emotions out that I didn’t want inside me. I had felt so guilty about being depressed, but then I realized I needed to feel sad and angry, I needed to grieve the loss of the person I’d been, so I could become someone new.” Molly started singing in a band. And she started dating, something she’d been convinced would never happen. “One of the boys in my old school had told me, ‘No one would ever marry a blind girl, because it’s like buying something that’s already broken.’”

But before long, the bullying started again. “That’s when I realized I wasn’t being bullied because I’m different. There’s no reason. It’s not my haircut, or how I dress, it’s just something in the other person, and they’ve decided to target me.” At first, Molly considered leaving the school. Then she printed all the hurtful Facebook posts (she has software that lets her computer ‘talk’ to her), marched into the principal’s office and asked for help. “I thought, ‘I’ve been through this; I’ve heard these things before, and the first time I ran. This time, I need to deal with it.’ ” The principal sat Molly down with the girl at the root of the bullying, and they talked about why what she said about Molly wasn’t true, about the things they had in common. The two girls started having lunch together and still keep in touch.

Molly decided to switch back to a sighted school for grade 11. Rachel Stinson, a vision itinerant (a teacher trained to help the visually impaired), helped her transition back. Rachel could relate to Molly — her own parents had pulled her out of school because of bullying. “I remember being so broken down by it,” she says. “I thought by becoming a teacher I could prevent it from happening to other kids.”

Rachel visited Molly’s new school and talked to her teachers about how they could best support her. But at the start of each class, it was Molly who stood up and said, “Hey, I’m Molly. I like shopping. I like boys. I like parties. I can’t see, and I’m in your class, so please leave this seat empty for me.” She knew it would be less effective coming from Rachel. “I wanted them to see that I was just an average kid, like them.” In an attempt to create empathy among Molly’s peers, Rachel blindfolded the students in her gym class, then sent them out to experience Molly’s world. Once in the halls, they instantly became targets. Other students stuck their feet out to trip them, then stole some of the kids’ hats. “I think we made a difference that day, but there’s so much ignorance out there that it can feel like you’re spinning your wheels in mud,” Rachel says. Although Molly made lots of friends at her new school, the bullying never stopped completely. One day she was walking down the hall with her mother when a group of kids pushed a container of ketchup and fries into her path, calling out, “Hey, blind girl, watch where you’re going,” when she stepped in it. “I was used to it, but my mom was really upset. I just said, ‘It’s fine, Mom. This is what I deal with. But it’s okay. I have friends. I have confidence. I believe in myself and I know I’m going somewhere in life.’”

Molly finished high school and contemplated college, but she still felt she had something to prove. Her brother, Brady, long a source of inspiration, had travelled to Africa to work in an orphanage. Molly wanted to do the same but couldn’t find an organization that would take her. Then she discovered Me to We, created by the co-founders of Free the Children. Molly was invited to join one of their youth trips to Kenya to help build a school. While there, she spoke at a local girls’ school—and discovered what she wanted to do next.

Molly with her guide dog, Gypsy

Last September, Molly joined Me to We’s speakers’ bureau and shared her story about blindness and bullying with 20,000 people at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Before she stepped onstage, one of her fellow speakers (Martin Sheen) pulled her aside and asked whether she was nervous. She was. He opened her hand and placed a rosary in it. “It’s from Egypt and is made of olive pits and sterling silver,” she says. “I’ve brought it with me to every We Day event since.” During Molly’s speech, the crowd rewarded her with two standing ovations. Her family were on their feet, too, clapping until their palms stung. “Seeing her speak was just...I was in awe,” Peter says. “Molly has a real ability to inspire people and to help others who are going through something, whether it’s a disability, or bullying, or a different set of challenges.”

Molly was overwhelmed by the response from her audience. “Four years ago, no one even wanted to sit near me, and people thought I wasn’t worth anything. Now there were 20,000 people on their feet supporting me. It was a really cool feeling.” Whether she’s speaking to thousands at a We Day event or telling her story in a school gymnasium, the response is the same.

Back in the gym at St. Joseph’s College , Molly’s audience is captivated. When she talks about her music, they chant her name until she gives in and sings the first verse of one of her songs, “Let It Go.” Her voice is clear and lovely, and when she is done, the gym explodes. When she gets to the Q&A part of her talk, the girls eagerly queue up at the mic. Molly gets the same questions every time: How do you put on makeup? (She uses a sticker code—a foam bump and a hard bump on an eyeshadow palette mean it’s Satin Taupe—and a counting system for application: three swipes across her blush compact, then three across her cheek to ensure everything’s even.) What does she see when she dreams? (Molly dreams in sounds, smells and emotions. Visual memories usually last only seven years, but Molly has already lost hers —she no longer remembers what she or her parents look like.) They also want to know what she is proudest of, and that’s a tough one.

Sitting with Gypsy’s head on her lap in her bright, cheery apartment in Toronto, Molly considers the question. She is proud of overcoming her depression, of coming to terms with her blindness, of getting her own place. The apartment is proof of her independence. It smells subtly of lavender (“I burn incense because although I love candles, no one felt comfortable with me having them”), and everything has texture: The pillows on her sofa are covered in stones, shells and embroidery; even her mugs are decorated with raised bumps and swirls. There are also plenty of knick-knacks scattered about. “Because I don’t get any visual stimulation, I like to pick things up, so I can appreciate the feel of them.”

But most of all, Molly is proud of how she has taken all the hard things that have happened to her and used them to help other people. She has become an inspiration to the bullied and the bullies alike. “I’ve had kids come up to me afterwards and say, ‘Thank you for helping me realize that it does get better, and that I might feel happy again one day.’” She’s also been approached by bullies who tell her they didn’t realize what they were doing, and that she’s inspired them to change. Molly believes the only way to alter attitudes and prevent bullying is to create understanding and empathy by sharing stories like hers. After a recent speech, she was approached by a group of girls from her old school; one had a sister who’d been in Molly’s class in grade 8. “The girl said, ‘My sister told me to tell you she didn’t know what you were going through. She said to tell you she’s sorry.’ It was an incredible moment for me, because if she’s thinking that, maybe others are thinking it too.”

Watch more about Molly’s cause in this video below:

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Blind and bullied: Teenage activist Molly Burke shares her inspirational story - Chatelaine.com

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After losing her vision, Molly Burke found herself in an even darker place. Now she’s giving hope to anyone who’s ever felt victimized—and showing them how to fight back.

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Teen Cyberbullying Activist

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Who Is This Activist?

Viraj Puri is 13 years old from Mumbai India. He has designed an app that can track down where cyberbullying happens frequently. This can tell if a person is being cyberbullied, or if they are themselves a cyberbully.Viraj wants to make sure that cyberbullying is put to an end.According to an article 52% of teens report cyberbullying off of their cell phone, email, social networks, etc.According to the article 33% of teens say that the cyberbullying that they experienced were threats. Cyberbullying happens repeatedly over and over again as this goes on the victim becomes to feel weak and lets these thoughts take them over. That is why Viraj is completely against it.

What Is This Person Fighting For?

Viraj is against cyberbullying. He has worked with members of the Congress to work on the issue. Viraj is now working with Dr. Xiaojin Zhu to work out the minor bugs that the app cares so they can make the app ready to be put out in the world. Dr. Xiaojin Zhu and Viraj think that the word "bully" does not make people aware that the cause is very life threatening to the victim so they are working on finding a word that will achieve what they need.

What Makes This Person Special?

Viraj is special because he designed an app at the age of 13! That app has a special purpose because it tracks down cyberbullies. He has also worked with members of the Congress on this on problem. He is also very aware of what kids say and do as cyberbullies. He now runs a blog "Bullyvention" and it has been a very helpful tool for kids.

Who Is This Activist?

Faye Carey is 17 years old. She was born in 1999. Faye was volunteering at her local Animal Control Center. They received a small puppy, and by the time Faye was done with her volunteer time the small puppy was still there. So Faye went home and put an ad on Trademe.com. The next thing she knew the puppy had a new home.

What Is This Activist Fighting For?

Faye is against animal abandonment. She has made a Facebook page where she post pictures and advertises dogs that need good homes. The pound gets 20 dogs on a basic day. Faye takes their pictures and puts them on her page. She is the reason that the pound does not have to handle so many dogs and other animals.

What Makes This Person Unique?

Faye is unique because she has re-homed over 60 dogs and other animals. She is giving these animals a second chance to be adopted. Faye wants every animal to know that it has a second chance. Now every Friday Faye spends it at the pound doing more volunteer work.

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Who Is This Activist? Viraj Puri is 13 years old from Mumbai India. He has designed an app that can track down where cyberbullying happens frequently.

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LizzieVelasquez

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Newsela: Ohio community wages war on bullying

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Newsela: Ohio community wages war on bullying

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Newsela: More cyberbullying victims seeking help from their parents

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Newsela: More cyberbullying victims seeking help from their parents

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Cyberbullying: What schools can do to stop it. 

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Cyberbullying: What schools can do to stop it. 

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Cyberbullying: What Teachers and Schools Can Do

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Cyberbullying: What Teachers and Schools Can Do

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If you are already registered on our website, you can sign in by selecting your partner organization below, then entering your email address and password on the next screen.

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Hirsch created of the film "Bully" and The Bully Project, a social action campaign aimed at ending bullying in schools across America. He will speak Wednesday at the National Press Club in downtown D.C.
Why did you create this project?

I was bullied as a kid. And I became a filmmaker. Making the film "Bully" was something I had looked at many times. I was probably scared to make the film. After we produced it, we saw the film was really moving people and that is where the secondary tier of work began. I wanted to harness the moment and create the best tools we possibly could to allow people to use the film as a motivator and actually create safety in our schools.

What is the project about?

It's is very much like an experiment. It's about how we can leverage the power of a film that has traction, that brings people to a place where they want to raise their hand and say, "What can I do?"

How do you create that kind of leverage?

It's interesting because what we are celebrating in part on Capitol Hill on Wednesday is that we met and surpassed our goal of getting a million kids to see the film.

Beyond the film, how does the project work?

We have created a set of tools that go with it -- lessons that are created for the student that sees the film. It's using the film as a tool for educators, the people who are reaching out for it and saying we want to do that in our community and bring it to our school.

What do you believe is behind the uptick in bullying?

It has a lot to do with the broader question of school climate and school culture... Schools have gotten very focused on results and numerical evaluation based on testing. And what I see has gotten lost is increasing the social and emotional connections between students and staff. Schools need to teach kids empathy and how to process relationships.

What can a school do to reduce bullying?

The Bully Project includes a toolbox that is a roadmap for creating change. The first thing we encourage people to do is survey the school climate and school culture and really determine how many students feel connected to the school. They should determine what are the areas in student daily life that feel safe and unsafe.

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The 3-Minute Interview: Lee Hirsch, anti-bullying activist

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Hirsch created of the film "Bully" and The Bully Project, a social action campaign aimed at ending bullying in schools across America. He will speak Wednesday at the National Press Club in downtown D.C. Why did you create this project? I was bullied as a kid. And I became a filmmaker.

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10 Things Parents Can Do to Help Eliminate Bullying

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10 Things Parents Can Do to Help Eliminate Bullying

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Browse Educational Resources | Education.com

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Browse Educational Resources. Award winning educational materials designed to help kids succeed. Start for free now!

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Easy to Use. Hard to Put Down.
With Magazines+, you get fresh, high-interest content delivered all year long-in print, online or both. Every single story, video and activity is designed to hook your students and keep them engaged. And because Magazines+ complements your curriculum, it's easy to implement during any part of the school day!

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Scholastic Classroom & News Magazines | Subscribe Now!

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Easy to Use. Hard to Put Down. With Magazines+, you get fresh, high-interest content delivered all year long-in print, online or both. Every single story, video and activity is designed to hook your students and keep them engaged. And because Magazines+ complements your curriculum, it's easy to implement during any part of the school day!

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Life after Bully: Teenage star of hit documentary finally escapes his tormentors... and finds happiness in new school

Alex Libby's life has changed since he featured in the hit anti-bullying documentary, Bully.

The highschool freshman now has other students come up and hug him in the corridors, has good friends and gets on well with his teachers.

The unlikely fame has potentially saved him from becoming one of two thousand American teenagers who have committed suicide because of relentless aggression from their peers.

Some 13million schoolchildren in the U.S. are victims of bullying, with 3million absent from class each month because they cannot cope with the torment.

The award-winning documentary by Lee Hirsh follows five kids and families over the course of a school year, including two families who have lost children to suicide because of bullying.

Alex agreed to take part in Bully in the hope that his persecutors would stop tormenting him.

He didn't realise that the brave act would bring him national notoriety, a trip to the White House and a chat with a beauty pageant winner.

Much of the bullying took place on the school bus, on which Kim Lockwood, assistant principal of East Middle School in Sioux City, Iowa, insisted the kids were 'as good as gold'.

Alex knew different.

'Most of the kids on that bus, I knew from elementary school, and we were good friends then,' he said in the documentary.

'But then in middle school, everything changes, and it's all about popularity and who dresses the best and who's the most athletic and who has the best hair. I was not the kid with the best hair.'

The bullies in Iowa called him 'fishface'. They threatened to break his bones, sexually assault him and kill him.

Perhaps, more crucially, the bullies scared away other kids who were his genuine buddies.

'I craved friends. I didn't have any friends. That was all I wanted, some friendship, someone to come over, someone to lift me back up when I'm knocked down. I didn't have that, he said.

However, today things have changed dramatically, reports the Des Moines Register .

A move to a new school, Edmond Memorial School in Oklahoma, has broken the cycle of bullying but Alex is also enjoying his unlikely fame and has become a spokesperson for the bullying cause.

He wears a T-shirt that says, 'I stand for the silent'.

Alex is not the only one: the documentary has already been seen by over 90,000 American schoolchildren and has 97,000 'likes' on its Facebook page .

Watch the video:

Watch the documentary trailer:

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Life after Bully: Teenage star of hit documentary finally escapes his tormentors... and finds happiness in new school

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Alex Libby's life has changed since he featured in the hit anti-bullying documentary, Bully. The highschool freshman now has other students come up and hug him in the corridors, has good friends and gets on well with his teachers.

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Bully Official Trailer #1 - Weinstein Company Movie (2012) HD

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Newsela: Teens find support in dealing with  anti-Muslim bullying

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Newsela: Teens find support in dealing with  anti-Muslim bullying

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Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

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Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

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Anti-Bullying Activist Spreads Message of Kindness

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Anti-Bullying Activist Spreads Message of Kindness

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Bullying. A word almost every kid dreads. They dread being the outcast. The reject. The person everyone bullies. The loner. Not being good enough or not meeting someone’s standards. Some dread it so much, they take their own lives. A tragic way to