Your Teen Magazine writing contest about Bullying

Your Teen Magazine is taking submissions for a writing contest about bullying. In your 600 word story, you can write about being bullied, having bullied someone, or being a bystander who intervened.

The Deadline is July 10, and winner will have their story published.

For contest rules, click here

For Your Teen Magazine, click here

Half of the world's kids fear Cyberbullying

According to Microsoft's Safety & Security Center, 54% of kids say they are afraid of cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is a form of bullying online, and it usually starts with bullying that happened offline, like at school, and then continues on the internet and other related technology (Facebook, Twitter, email, text messaging, blogs, etc).

Legal definition

Cyberbullying 

• actions that use information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group, that is intended to harm another or others.
• use of communication technologies for the intention of harming another person
• use of internet service and mobile technologies such as web pages and discussion groups as well as instant messaging or SMS text messaging with the intention of harming another person.

1 out of every 4 kids worldwide say they have been cyberbullied.



Worldwide, 74% of kids say they have been bullied offline.


Here in the US, 29% of kids say they have been bullied online, but 83% say they have experienced bullying offline. 

Gabe & Izzy

Gabe and Izzy are a young woman (Gabrielle) and Izzy (a coonhound) who speak to young teens about bullying. Gabe, who was once a ballerina, was diagnosed with a rare genetic neuromuscular disease, Friedfreich's Ataxia. She was bullied by her classmates and by the graduation time, she found herself depressed and unwilling to leave her house, embarrassed and ashamed of her disease. 

Izzy later became ill with a similar disease, and Gabe had to face the world to get her pet and friend the best treatment available.  Because of Izzy, Gabe was forced to face the world and her challenges, and she now speaks to young teens about her story and about bullying.

To read more about Gabe & Izzy, click here 

Can popular teens stop bullying?

The question, which originates from this article, is whether or not a popular teen can start the anti bullying trend and influence less popular kids against bullying, too.

The Safe School Ambassador program trains the most popular kids in schools to intervene when they witness bullying. The program's goal is to turn youth into part of the solution, and this teaches them lifelong skills for the real world.

You can read more about the program here.

What do you think?

NY is blinded from bully assault

A New York teen is now blind in one eye after he was assaulted by bullies in his school cafeteria. Kardin Ulyssse, 14, was first taunted and called names like 'faggot", "transvestite" and "gay" before he was held down by one teen and punched in the face, neck and head by another. Kardin broke away but the fight continued until school officials finally broke it up.
Kardin's parents are looking to sue the school for not properly supervising their students.

read the entire article here 

Mom sues Catholic School for no action against bullying

Mom Christine Yonan sues the Northwest Side Catholic Elementary School her autistic son Anthony attended because of it's failure to take action against bullying. Yonan is suing because she claims the school ignored the attacks her son faced during the last 2 years he attended the school. According to her, instead of punishing the bullies, her son was excluded from events where the bullying occurred, making him miss out on schools sports activities such as basketball and social activities such as school dances. Anthony would need to be accompanied by a family member for after school math tutoring.

Ann Creighton, a mom of a recent graduate and a teacher at another school, says her daughter constantly saw students being bullied. She states that the school's principal, Principal Coleman, would say to "let the kid's work it out" when parents complained to him about bullying.


Full Article on the Chicago Tribune

Ellen Degeneres' Anti Bullying Message

Bullying Survival Tips

The Right NowAnti Bullying campaign seeks to spread a positive message and join voices to stop bullying NOW. Sadly, bullying is still a common and scary problem millions of teens face - at school, online, and every day. While we work towards our goal,  here's a good article with ways to deal with bullying. You can view the original article here.


Bullying Survival Tips

Here are some things you can do to combat psychological and verbal bullying. They're also good tips to share with a friend as a way to show your support:

• Ignore the bully and walk away. It's definitely not a coward's response — sometimes it can be harder than losing your temper. Bullies thrive on the reaction they get, and if you walk away or ignore hurtful emails or instant messages, you're telling the bully that you just don't care. Sooner or later the bully will probably get bored with trying to bother you. Walk tall and hold your head high. Using this type of body language sends a message that you're not vulnerable.
• Hold the anger. Who doesn't want to get really upset with a bully? But that's exactly the response he or she is trying to get. Bullies want to know they have control over your emotions. If you're in a situation where you have to deal with a bully and you can't walk away with poise, use humor — it can throw the bully off guard. Work out your anger in another way, such as through exercise or writing it down (make sure you tear up any letters or notes you write in anger).
• Don't get physical. However you choose to deal with a bully, don't use physical force (like kicking, hitting, or pushing). Not only are you showing your anger, you can never be sure what the bully will do in response. You are more likely to be hurt and get in to trouble if you use violence against a bully. You can stand up for yourself in other ways, such as gaining control of the situation by walking away or by being assertive in your actions. Some adults believe that bullying is a part of growing up (even that it is character building) and that hitting back is the only way to tackle the problem. But that's not the case. Aggressive responses tend to lead to more violence and more bullying for the victims.
• Practice confidence. Practice ways to respond to the bully verbally or through your behavior. Practice feeling good about yourself (even if you have to fake it at first).
• Take charge of your life. You can't control other people's actions, but you can stay true to yourself. Think about ways to feel your best — and your strongest — so that other kids may give up the teasing. Exercise is one way to feel strong and powerful. (It's a great mood lifter, too!) Learn a martial art or take a class like yoga. Another way to gain confidence is to hone your skills in something like chess, art, music, computers, or writing. Joining a class, club, or gym is a great way to make new friends and feel great about yourself. The confidence you gain will help you ignore the mean kids.
• Talk about it. It may help to talk to a guidance counselor, teacher, or friend — anyone who can give you the support you need. Talking can be a good outlet for the fears and frustrations that can build when you're being bullied.
• Find your (true) friends. If you've been bullied with rumors or gossip, all of the above tips (especially ignoring and not reacting) can apply. But take it one step further to help ease feelings of hurt and isolation. Find one or two true friends and confide how the gossip has hurt your feelings. Set the record straight by telling your friends quietly and confidently what's true and not true about you. Hearing a friend say, "I know the rumor's not true. I didn't pay attention to it," can help you realize that most of the time people see gossip for what it is — petty, rude, and immature.