I was a victim of being bullied growing up. Now both of my children are or have been bullied. My son was back in the fall. As soon as I saw the signs and seen it myself I took action. Recently last few weeks a few older boys have been bullying my 6 year old daughter. They are calling her an idiot, stupid head, covered her with dirt, exclude her from games with other neighborhood kids, ad so on. Around where we are from no one seems to care unless it takes place in school. Even when it takes place in school unless a staff member sees it happening it is brushed aside. I do not want to see my kids go through what I went through growing up.

People don't understand how hurtful words that come out of their mouth can damage someone emotionally. I have a best friend who came out of the closet two years ago. All of our friends knew he was, but he never admitted it until now. He is literally the wierdest person ever and thats why I love him so much. Everyone, I mean everyone thought he was a creep, but if you got to know him, he is the most joyful person you could ever meet. The reason I love him so much is that he doesn't care about what anyone says about him as long as he's happy surrounded by those who love him.

Nevertheless, I remember a situation that happened not long ago. It was on a rainy day at school during one of our passing periods and this guy had the nerve to say the most ignorant comment about him being gay. You have no idea how much that upset me, but the thing was he wasn't insulting me. Later on that day, I went up to the guy that insulted my friend and I put him in his place where he belonged. When I told my friend that I stood up for him and what the guy had said, my friend told me it didn't bother him. I know deep inside it did, but by the expression in his face it was like he was used to it, used to being called out of his name. I don't think its ever okay for someone to get used to being bullied. Its unacceptable and its absolutely despicable how much words are damaging. I mean bullying in general is horrendous. I encourage everyone to stand up and make a change. If you see someone getting bullied, do something. I know bullying will never completely go away, but its becoming an avid problem that we can change, little by little.

I never really felt connected to my peers. As they were playing kickball and tag during recess, I watched on the side. As they were going to parties and dances, I was at home. When they went to fix their makeup during lunch, I went to the library to do my homework. This gave me a lot of time to think: What is friendship? How do you make friends? Why am I not connecting with my peers? I realized while kids were teasing each other, making up lies and creating drama within their own cliques, I didn't want to be part of that. Since a majority of my peers enjoyed gossiping and dominating over each other, I couldn't connect with them because I refused to be like them. This resulted in my loneliness. I didn't have many good friends. The few I had were like me in secret, but hid it to be "cool" or "popular." Over the years, I realized I'd rather be alone doing the right thing, than joining in on something that was wrong. At first, feeling lonely made me feel weak and awkward. I became depressed, even wanted to die from not feeling needed or liked. I didn't kill myself because I didn't want to hurt my family, who worked so hard to raise me and make me happy. I decided that if I wanted to die, I'd die doing something that'd put me to use- such as saving a little old lady crossing a street from a car. This led me to want to help others, especially those who felt lonely, depressed, and/or bullied. I didn't want any more people feeling the way I had or worse. Now, I'm not waiting for the moment I can help someone for me to die. I'm going to live my life, and see what I can accomplish. I'm going to prove to others what I am made of. I have devoted myself to helping others however I can whether they are bullied, lonely, ill, suffering academically; whatever their sexual orientation, whatever race, whatever financial situation. As well as I can, I want to help. 

My name is Anthony Cruz. I am currently a high school student and I have witnessed it all. Everyday in one way or another i have seen people get bullied. All the feelings getting hurt and all of the crying and pain that i seen in those kids eyes is just to much to bare. It is not always the adults that stand up for the kids. Sometimes they actually just leave it for the kids being bullied to handle. Well one day i was walking down the hallway and i seen a kid get pushed to the ground and the bully wouldnt let him get up without a fight so i stepped in and said is this really how you treat people? Do you really wake up in the morning thinking who can i pick on next? Because all you are doing is ruining a kids life and we all know what that can lead up to. You dont want that to happen do you? So i asked him if he can please help him up and apologize for what hes done and maybe if he got to know him they could be eventually good friends. I am sick of bullies it all needs to stop and we can help do that! 

My name is John Bowen Brown II. I know what you kids are going through. I was bullied ruthlessly in middle school, and a little bit in high school. I graduated in 1988.  Some of these kids even harassed my family. A PE teacher in middle school  even knew about it and asked me a question: Why do you let them do that to you? It pretty hard to stop 10 + people from doing anything when you are a lone person confronting them. More to come....

Growing up, my youngest brother was always a little off. He was a logical thinker and wasn't interested in things most kids were. I would never admit it to him, but I always kept an eye out for him, even when we were little. Every now and again I would ask him if everything was ok for him at school, especially the days he as more quiet than usual. One day he was limping to the car when I picked him up. Naturally I looked at him and asked him... He only said that he didn't want to talk about it. I gave him space and planned on going to his next field trip for him, in place of our mom, and when I did, I saw him staying close to the teacher, and staying quiet. The kids, including him, went off to do something and I asked her if she had seen anything in the school even remotely related to bullying. She apparently hadn't noticed anything. But when the kids regrouped, I saw one of them push him. I would have liked to go off on the kid, but instead I pulled him aside to talk to him.

I felt bad cause the kid looked scared, but I politely asked him to stop messing with my brother.  I also made him apologize to him in front of the entire group and the teacher for pushing him. I got the biggest hug when we got home. :)

Since then, my brother has been feeling more open to talk to me, and the kid, whose name I can't remember, has stepped out of line a few times afterward. But I happen to be known among the stuff there and they have started keeping a better eye out for things like that. 

I can proudly say that my brother is no longer having problems wit this person, and has been interacting with other kids better.

my name is Logan, even as i am typing this i am getting sad, my story happened back when i was in 5th grade through today.  it first happened when about the middle of the way through school. this kid would keep picking on me for days, he would keep pushing me with one hand and whenever i tried to block, he would get his hand away quickly and say that I'm slow.  it finally stopped around the middle of spring.  now in 6th grade, my "Friend" turned on me and is repeatedly calling me gay, stupid, retarded, and baby hippo, and he would laugh whenever people would call me moby dick. also whenever i do somthing wrong, hell shout out "fail!" and whenever i would do that he would get very angry, charge at me and punch me, sure i stick up for myself but doing that only makes the bullying worse. and ignoring it will also make it worse.

My name is Taylor. I have been bullied since I was five. I am sixteen now. it use to be just snide comments about how I looked or how I dressed. I never really liked anything girly, so I wore more tomboy clothes, like jeans and T-shirts. In fifth grade, I stood up to some "popular" girls, because they were bullying another girl and telling her she was worthless. I told them they were wrong. I told the girl that I cared and she was one of the best people who went to our school. I meant it. We became good friends. I will never regret standing up for her. But I am now a lot of the bullies main target. The bullies would torture me each year. The summer before seventh grade was the first time I considered suicide. I thought, "If I die now, I won't ever have to go to school again." I continued to get bullied, therefore continued to think about suicide. Ninth grade was the worst. People started telling me to go kill myself, to go to hell. They said no one would care or miss me. I told my parents that year that I was suicidal. I was already seeing a therapist, for social anxiety. My therapist told them to send me to a psychiatric hospital. The group therapist there told me and other patients that we should feel guilty for feeling depressed, and how sorry she felt for our parents having to deal with us. So I stopped talking about it. I told everyone I am feeling so much better now. I moved schools in tenth grade, hoping to get a new start. I still got bullied. I attempted suicide in September 2012. All I could think about was how if I died, I wouldn't have to go to school ever again, I wouldn't have to be bullied by all those kids ever again. I am on home bound now. Which means, for a temporary while, I don't go to school, and the school system sends a teacher to my house every week. They are slowly integrating me back into the school. Even the few classes I go to now, I get bullied. I always stand up for others when they get bullied, but no one has ever stood up for me. I have friends, but the kids seem to bully me when they aren't around. I have started to tell people, at the school, but they usually just shrug their shoulders. I did tell my fifth grade teacher a few times, but she eventually just told me I was tattling and to grow up. This has discouraged me from telling people about bullying. I have been in one fight before, and it was because some girls were shoving my best friend. I am very dedicated and loyal friend, and I don't like it when my friends are being pushed around. I am not quite sure what I am going to do about it. But I am hoping to just make it through high school. I graduate in 2015. Wish me luck.

Ever since I went to Jefferson Village School in Maine I was always picked on and victimized by even my Neighbor. My father Taught me how to hit and I hit one of my bullies and Today he won't speak to me when i try to be nice to him, I regret it and since then i never hit anyone but it also made think that i shouldn't speak up at all. When i was in 7th grade I was getting on the bus my best friend was getting in to the seat and the girl behind me pushed me into my friend and i almost squashed her in to the bus window. I went home crying and my parents asked why.... i didn't tell them later that night my dad talked it out of me. he told my mom and she called the school and thy pulled the girl in to the office and when she got back to class she told everyone that i was lying and everyone started to treat me like dirt. I got on the bus crying and my bus driver who knew i was a good kid watched me that bus ride home. one day when my dad was picking me up for an appointment when he met the bus driver. he asked if i told my dad about that had been going on and my dad found out that day that even though the Principal knew he didn't do anything about it. he got me to tell him about how people were harassing me about me being what i wasn't and no one stood up for me not even my best friends. My father threatened to sue the school and come in with a cop to arrest the girl for physically and Emotionally Harassing me. The girl was expelled and I was treated better until 8th grade when i became a Victim of bullying this time a boy was victimizing me and  the school failed once again to help me. I became depressed and i felt that no one wanted to help me that was until my bus driver told the boy that if he didn't stop he would kick the boy off the bus. the boy stopped until he was put in my Special ed math class.... I was picked on and the teacher did nothing about it... i felt even more alone, no one helped me. until my father found out again about the bullying and he went down to the school himself and told the Principal to cut it out again and this time it worked. 

I'n now in High school, Most of the people that come from JVS (Jefferson village school)  and they tell me about how horrible the school is still since i left. I hope one day that i can help reach out to someone to stop the bullying there and everywhere else in the world but though music. when i saw the Bully effect tonight i knew i had to speak out. to those who chose to read this thank you for doing that :) 

Hello my name is nathan assefa I came from ethoipia and this all started when I was in 4rd grade when I was in the school bus, some of the 5th graders were bullying me. For example they6 keep making fun of my mole and how I look. They always make these jokes on me that makes people laugh except me and also they cursed at me and that made me mad and sad. They said I suck in all sports and I will always will and they also say that I should shut up and let them talk and when ever when I try to talk they shut me up. What they also do is dump me when i'm challenged and they make fun of my mom. So this is the story how I got bullyed by 5th graders.