Dear Reader,

My name is Kat, I'm 16 now but I was 13 when I was seriously bullied. When I was 11, I moved from Australia to the United States and even though we speak the same language, we are extremely different. I basically went through culture shock for the first couple of years. Anyway, I went to this school, and in 8th grade when I felt like my world was stable, it was turned upside-down. My best friend and I had this fight, because she was obsessed with this boy and I didn't want to talk about him every second of the day, so she got offended and turned everyone except one friend against me. Of course I didn't know she had done this at the time, so the day after we had had this fight, me and the one friend I had left walked to the lunch table and everyone was there with a sheet of paper and a pencil. We sat down and everyone looked at me and this girl who I was never super close with, looked at me very seriously and said, "We're going to try and fix you by writing down everything we think that's wrong with you, so the group can go back to normal, I already have a list so I'll start". So this girl sat there and was reading all the things she hated about me, and I was in such a state of shock I didn't even hear what she said. My friend dragged me up into the middle of the lunchroom and asked if there was anyone else we could sit with. I knew this boy from my French class, and his group were the kind of out-casts of the school, so I asked him if I could sit with them and he said yeah sure. So a couple of weeks go by and I get this anonymous note left in my locker telling me that I'm worthless and that I'm a slut and a whore and that I'm stupid and a waste of skin etc. I ignore it, and one week later I get another one, and another one, and they got darker with what they were saying, telling me I should kill myself and leave a note by my dead body, that I should go die in hell etc. I got six of these. Every time I got a new one I'd go to the school counselor and eventually the principal. They didn't do anything and instead said it was MY fault that this was happening. That I brought it upon MYSELF. My parents sent the notes to the rangers and they said they couldn't do anything because it wasn't a direct threat on my life. Then when I got the 6th one the principal and two guidance counselors came in and accused me of writing them and suggested I go to a therapist. I was in shock and outraged that they could blame a victim like that. Soon I learned they do that all the time. I ended up losing the one friend I had, and so it was just me and the guys, but I ate lunch in the bathroom for a couple of months. I also cried myself to sleep every night. Because I was in shock, my body reacted, so I would puke constantly. I stopped eating at school altogether, and for a long time I was suicidal, to the point where I had planned how I would end it. Today I say that if I hadn't had my friends in Australia and my family I would be dead. I believe that almost more than anything. I understand that a lot of people don't have a family like mine, or friends somewhere like my good ones, and this makes me sad because those people don't know what it's like to have someone on your side that shows you constantly that they are ON YOUR SIDE.
When I entered my freshman year of high school Bully came out. I saw it three times and cried to the point where I was sobbing in the theater because I knew exactly what that was like, how that isolation feels. So since then I have made it my mission to stand up for others who aren't in a stable enough emotional state to do it for themselves. I do this because I know what its like to be bullied, and when that's happening, you don't feel like it'll ever stop and most of the time, the victim is so beat down they can't defend themselves, which is why, if I see it, I will.
I have several other stories about my own experience with bullying (because I was also bullied physically) and I have a lot of stories of me standing up for others. I will ALWAYS listen to someone who has gone through this, and I can be your support and we can help each other. Most importantly though, I want you to know, that we can end this. We don't have to settle for being called sluts and whores and fags and emos. If we stand TOGETHER anything is possible.
<3
STAY STRONG

I was bullied in Primary school and Middle school because i were too weak , i don't show my emotions much so they started to hit me everyday i went to school . I started to cut myself and theres no way to stop it then came 8th grade my mom found out i cut myself in the bathroom , she thought im crzay , cant control myself and took me to the alieni st . But i swear im not crazy self-harm is the way help me feel better . Now im in college i've met alot of good friends they helped me so much and i gained a wonderful thing from music :'). i gained the ability to live my whole life . STAY STRONG :)
-Jakey

I was who I was.

 

I was the kid with no Father

I was the kid with no Mother

I was the kid with no friends

 

I was the kid they laughed at

I was the kid they hurt

I was the kid they ignored

 

I was the kid that was wierd

I was the kid that was sad

I was the kid that was lonely

 

I was that kid. I grew up. Now I am that teen.

 

The day before my 8th grade year I was doing some last minute school shopping at the local mall. I walked through the lounge area and before I knew it six girls grabbed me and pulled me outside. I will never for get the faces of the other kids and adults just sitting there watching me being bodily removed from the mall while I screamed in terror.

The pulled me outside against a concrete pillar. Three of them held me against it while the other three proceeded to punch and kick me. Funny thing is I don't remember the pain. I do remember the anger in their faces and wondering why is this happening to me. I kept going through every moment of my day wondering what I did wrong.

Once they finished with me, they let me go. Bloodied, swollen and in pain I wandered back into the mall where my sister greeted me. Her horrified face said it all. Right after the questioning, we left for the ER then home.

I had complained to my school about these girls tripping me, slamming me into lockers and knocking books and my lunch tray out of my hands several times through out the previous year. Nothing was ever done as no actual physical harm was caused.

Come to find out, all this ridiculousness was a result of the ring leader thinking I liked her boyfriend simply because he was my lab partner. She and her # 1 ended up in juvenile detention for the next year. The rest were expelled from school. I have never seen any of them again. I spent my first two weeks of eighth grade black and blue, sore and a bit more aware of my surroundings... Not to mention a lot less trustful of people and a lot less innocent.

What my Dad always said is that people are stupid after I told him about me being bullied and what not. And those words coming from him was good enough for me. It's what got me through my past life and what gets me through now. "People are stupid." Simple as that. ~Stacie

As a child, I was very shy and small for my age. While this was not a problem for me at an early age, by the time I was a teenager, my shyness and size were my greatest faults. I was severely bullied as a teenager, and it was not until I was a junior in high school that the bullying stopped. However, at this time in my life I had turned to drinking with friends to fit it and feel accepted.  It’s now more than ten years later and I still haven’t had one drop of alcohol and surprisingly, with age, sobriety and maturity, my shyness has all but disappeared.

For those who have experienced bullying, let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.  And remember that drinking alcohol before you are mature enough to realize the responsibility and caution that must be taken, can steal your hopes, your dreams and your future.

B. DiNapoli -1 reaction

Listen here you dumb bitch, I’m sorry you don’t have friends and that only your boyfriend likes you, but that does not give you the right to talk shit about me online, in public, or to my fucking friends. Get the fuck over yourself. I was your friend…key word was. Saying that you have “won” the argument because you have a bigger chin than I do makes you look like an idiot. EVERYONE HAS A CHIN YOU FAT FUCK. At least I only have one… And you know what? I don’t give a shit that your boyfriend “fucks” you and then stays. You want an award or something? Please enlighten me on how that makes you the bigger person. You are not a good person nor do you deserve friends. I’m glad that you “feel alone here.” You are alone here. Talking shit about your “friends” behind their backs is not the proper way to make friends. I don’t know how they did things in your town, but here in the real world, it doesn’t work that way. There’s a reason I didn’t face to face confront you yesterday. I was pissed off and needed time to really think of what I wanted to say to you, and frankly the message I sent wasn’t mean at all. You started this whole thing. But you know what, I will be the bigger person for both of us and end it here. However, if I hear you talk shit about me, Kristi, Erin, or Bre ever again, Mikayla I will make your life hell. I do not take shit like this gently. You may have never had drama in high school or middle school, but I had enough of it to last a life time and I have learned a lot from it all. So, if you want to continue this, please bring it on. I’m ready. If not, please leave me and my friends out of your conversations and have a nice life. I jokingly said "Aw darn you didn't bring Lee shes so annoying....then she posted this on Tumblr...were freshman in college, can't we just talk face to face?

My daughter wasn't just getting called names by the other children, she was getting physically hit.  I complained to the school principal, the superintendent and school board members to no avail.  Then it happened there was only two weeks left of school and the boy who had been hitting her since 2nd grade tripped her hard enough that she ripped open not only the knee of her jean, but her knee as well.  I knew as usual the school would do nothing, especially since I had notified them that my daughter would be going to another school (in our district) the following year. 

So when my daughter got home from school and told me what happened I took her butt down to the police department and I filled a complaint.  This way I was certain the boys parents would find out, I don't think our principal ever told the boys parents.  The police told me they really couldn't do anything because of the boys age.  I told the officer that I just wanted it on file and for someone to talk to the boy's parents and I also wanted it on file in case this boy hurt her again since they would eventually be in school together again.

That boy has never touched my daughter since I did that.  This pretty much confirmed what I already knew, the principal wasn't talking to that boys parents.

I've learned that going to the police won't solve anything, but they will talk to the other kid involved and it will stay on file so if someone else complains about the same child, they will already have a heads up as to what they are dealing with!

Hello my name is kaelyn and i was bullied my whole middle school year.

It started in 6th grade when these 7th graders use to make fun of me till the point that i got pushed down the stares , i caught myself thank god.

Then came 7th grade i moved to fall river and thats when i started cutting myself , i wasnt strong enough .

Now i started 8th grade i was saying to myself im gonna change im gonna be strong , but nope this kid hector made fun of me everyday and all the kids laughed i was so depressed that i lost my best friends and i had no body so i tried to commit suicide i couldnt do it cause i know im better then that so that week i went a councilor and she helped me sooooo much god bless her but now im in high school and i learned to love myself and now im helping other kids in my problem before.

So my story to everyone is STAY STRONG <3

Hey guys! if you have been bullied, depressed, or struggling on hard times, you NEED to read this, it will lift your spirits.

My name is Richie Jewell. I'm 20 years old and I have autism since I was born. Like everyone else in the world, I have an up-down life like a sea-saw. I went through some of the stuff that has been a rocky roadblock during my life. It was very challenging to live through the times that I endured during my life such as teasing, on and off depression, struggling to adapt in places including schools, helplessly observe my parents’ divorce and the struggles with my disability like problems with speech and language, communication, awkwardness in social situations, screaming and crying when I was young out of frustration. Well despite all of those horrible obstacles that tried to cut me down, I would overcome them by using my own set of coping skills:

Getting through one day at a time, knowing that happiness and smiles triumphs. When I had no friends due to the disability, I pretended that my stuffed animals as if they were my own and practiced it for later on. Whenever I'm in a negative situation, I dream myself a happy place with beautiful nature and happiness all around me. I also remind myself that everything happens for a reason in life, I always ask myself, “Why do we fall? So, we can learn to pick ourselves up”, and most of all, writing poems from my heart with the help and comfort from family, friends, my hobbies, which include animals, wrestling, movies, writing, and inspiration. Those things I just mentioned are the huge puzzle pieces of my life.

So you're curious on what I do for a living, right? Currently, I work at a local library in Beacon, NY to get some money. Outside the job, I'm a writer, motivational speaker and world/autism advocate to reach out people and raise their spirits. I'm writing a book now titled This is Me: My Life with Autism which talks about my struggles and triumphs with the disability throughout my life. I do speeches at public places such as schools and libraries to raise awareness of autism, world problems, my struggles with my disability and most of all inspire people to new heights. Why this profession? I'm doing this for the people who have been laughed at, ridiculed, looked at the wrong way, have been told you can't do anything, you won't go far in life or bullied including myself and show them that we are in this together to help the world by raising awareness on not just autism but the world problems as well. I want to show support to people who are in a struggle like I was. I want to be the symbol that anything is possible. I had a dream that one day: this world will rise above the hate and realize what we are doing to ourselves. In one day, we are going to treat each other with kindness. This dream will become a reality if we all follow the steps: think, act and change. Gandhi once said, “We must become the change we want to see.” Believe that you can change the world. My theory is that changing the world cannot be kept by force but educating ourselves. If that happens, then the dream can become a reality and finally my voice will be heard. You’re probably think that I'm a dreamer but I’m not the only one dreams. Someday, you'll believe in my vision. And the world will be as one. The message I want to is that anyone with a disability can make this happen. Everyone has a voice to be heard and I want them to hear mine, on making the world better and getting them to think what does it take to get better. I learned a long time ago that you don't have to scream and holler to get attention, because if a person has enough power to speak softly, they'll listen to you. It's a slow process but it will be done, plus me having a disability makes it even more intriguing, understanding and challenging. Everyone has a story to tell, you got to make the best of life in order to be successful. I'm just an average person trying to make a big change in the world's society so we can live in a healthy, peaceful and beautiful environment that makes us adaptable for our home called Earth. Like everyone else in the world, we have a long hard road ahead of us. However, we will never give up. Do not pray for an easy life. Hope for the strength to endure a difficult one. If you're going through a difficult life, just remember we are not alone because you might never know who is enduring the same struggles you've encountered. If you're going through a difficult life, just remember we are not alone because you might never know who is enduring the same struggles you've encountered. Don't look backwards into the past because we will fall. You can't spend your life looking back. You must spend your life looking forward, because you can't change what has happened. If I look back, there's someone else who is looking forward that will go right by me. You can't reach for the past. It's happened. It's gone. By then, we will live in a healthy life. We are amazing creatures with a powerful ability to overcome obstacles. Your life is your message to the world: Make it inspiring and create a difference! Just like what I'm doing right now!

My inspiration to this cause is my heroes of my life: Robin Williams, Jesse Saperstein, Steve Irwin, John Lennon, Rachel Joy Scott, God, Jesus Christ and most importantly, close friends and family. Every day, there will be new challenges that are going to confront me but I will get stronger and more confident as I conquered them. I always live by a quote, made by Muppet creator Jim Henson, in order to continue my journey of life. And i quote: "Life is meant to be fun, joyous, and fulfilling. May each of yours be that - having each of you as a child of mine has certainly been one of the good things in my life. Know that I've always loved each of you with an eternal, bottomless love. A love that has nothing to do with each other, for I feel my love for each of you is total and all-encompassing. Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It’s a good life, enjoy it."

What does my future have in stored for me after this? Well, who knows? I'm not a psychic and I can't predict the future. The only thing I can do now is accomplish more speeches and keep writing my book so I would have a great future ahead of me. In order to be successful, I could try give the best advice which follows: Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go and want to be, no one else. Reach into your heart and soul to discover your talent. Sometimes, people's talents fade away and you lose something special so, hold on to it. If your talent or idea helps you, then let it set you free from the obstacles that are currently destroying your spirit. Follow your dreams and heart by listening to that “whisper” inside your head speaking to you. If you listen to it, you'll go somewhere. Cherish your visions and dreams because they are the blueprint of the achievements you succeeded. You've got to figure out what it is you love - who you really are and have the courage to do that. Remember that you have to be proud of what you're doing. Always ignore bad and insincere criticism if you're doing what makes you happy. There are many opinions about your work , never let voices put you down, the only one you have listen to is your own. Be yourself and become proud for that because you are original, special for you who are and everyone else is taken. Look for the good in every day. Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities! Believe in your own potential for greatness. There are many individuals whom become successful and simply put a hold on their life. No matter what successes or failures you encounter in life, you must live life, love harder, open doors, stay positive, create opportunities, and most importantly, continuously improve. We experience struggles and challenges that confront us every single day, as time goes on, you get stronger by defeating them. Our hope is you will “never stop” learning, teaching, and dreaming. This message will remind you to push harder, strive for more, stay positive, remain strong and be yourself to live the life you always imagined. All you need to do is enjoy and live life to the fullest. It's something that is within each of us. Repeat these steps every day, and you will become successful.

The contributions that I have for my success right now are dedication, confidence, patience and support. Because of those, I can believe in myself. I have confidence in my ability to make it to the top and accomplish one goal at a time. My biggest supports I have are my family and close friends. I have them stored in my head and will remember them for life. I shall never let anyone change me or break my spirit because mines powerful. If I could snap my fingers and be non-autistic, I would not because then, it wouldn't be me. Autism is part of who I am and what made me so unique. Like I said before, everyone has a story to tell and it is our duty to make the best out of what life has given us. This who I am and always will be: I am Richie Jewell.