Bullying
Circles of Care: Diocese of Baton Rouge-Safe Environment
What is bullying?
Bullying is behaviors that hurt or scare another who is vulnerable or perceived as weak.
FACTS
Types of bullying
FACT-- 15-25% of high school students are bullied with some frequency.
- Physical-- pushing, pulling, tripping, blocking someone's way, knocking over someone's books, belongings, or food in the cafeteria.
- Sexual-- overt behaviors, comments, gestures, pictures
- Online-- inappropriate text messages, emails, snapchats, blogs, tweets, etc.
- Gossip-- spreading rumors about others
- Exclusion-- keeping certain people out of a group/club/team/organization
- Teasing-- saying things to someone in a mean-spirited or demeaning way
- Ganging up on someone
Why do people bully other people?
- Others are doing it and getting away with it
- Peer pressure/influence-- want to feel like they belong
- Makes some people feel stronger, smarter, or better than the victim
- It keeps others from bullying them
Consequences
What are the effects of bullying?
- Self esteem drops
- Feelings of overwhelming sadness, loneliness, anxiety
- Depression that can carry over into adulthood
- Dropping out of social situations
- Cutting school and falling behind in classwork
Responses
How do we respond to bullying?
What to do if you are being bullied:
- Know that it is NEVER your fault. Nothing you can do means that someone has the right to mistreat you.
- Always tell an adult whom you trust. It always helps to have someone else aware of the situation. Don't worry about telling on someone. It's not about them getting in trouble-- it's about you being safe.
- Walk away from the bully.
- Stay in a group as much as you can so you won't find yourself alone with the bully.
- If it feels safe to do so, stand up to the bully by telling him or her why you find their behavior unacceptable.
- If you are being harassed by phone or online, DO NOT RESPOND. Print out and/or save the harassing message. Share them with a trusted adult.
- Join groups or clubs to meet people.
What NOT to do if you are being bullied:
- DO NOT bully back or bully someone else
- DO NOT keep it to yourself or hope the problem will just disappear
- DO NOT hurt yourself
- DO NOT skip school or avoid groups (over 160,000 students per day stay home from school because of bullying)