Real Teens Speak Out

willUstand

Twelve-year-old Charleigh first performed Stand, an original bullying prevention song, at her local talent show. After receiving many requests for the track, She wanted to share the song in a meaningful way, so Charleigh created an initiative called willUstand. She invited youth from all over the US and abroad to participate in a crowd sourced music video for the song.

She encouraged kids to submit a 5-10 second clip that symbolized the key messages within the song and with a goal to create a powerful mashup that we hoped would inspire social change.

willUstand launched March 2013.

When Someone Tells You That You’ve Changed

I’ve always thought I fit in. I sort of still do. I’ve always have had friends. If you didn’t know me, you’d think of me as a spoiled teacher’s pet, that everyone loves. No. That’s not it. I have pimples overflowing my face. It’s hard to walk around certain boys now. A boy whose younger than me walks to me everyday asking me why I have so many pimples. I’m always so embarrassed to tell an adult because he’s younger than me. And a boy. It gets really annoying, also because each time somebody teases me, my friends aren’t there. I have no idea if they would stand up. Hopefully they would. They’ve told me they’ve been bullied as well. And we are all teachers pets, and have lots of friends. 

But sometimes they aren’t my friends. They talk about innapropriate subjects that only adults take  seriously. And they laugh. I don’t. They josh around to each other thinking its funny. And all of us are religious. I realized one of my friends was going through the same problem. She hasn’t told face to face, but each time an innapropriate concept appears, she is dead silent. Like me.

We both want to have friends, but those? I really don’t know. I wish I could just be friends with the girl who knows what I’m going through, but it would be hard telling my mom this kind of stuff. My mom knows the innapropriate people. She thinks of them as friends. She knows their moms. It’s scary. I’m always scared one day, I won’t fit in, because I am not like them. 

Luckily, I was accepted to an IB program and I’ll won’t have to deal with them for much longer. But I will have faith. Although I am scared, I will not back down. No matter how cowardly I seem, it’s right. It’s me. It’s being me. ‘When someone tells you that you’ve changed, that just means you’re not like them anymore.’

Faceless

Feelings

In my class a girl never has anyone to talk or play with and I don’t like that.

She doesn’t look all that pretty but I can at least make her feel good. Sometimes ditch her to play with the other girls but realize they may not be my real friends though.

Sometimes I talk to her and she hates school and barely tries so I try to help her cause I worry about her. One time at recess majority of the girls were all playing include us two and we were all doing flips, and cartwheels, and all the other stuff but she had on a dress and the girls were saying she could do it cause she tried in her dress.

Some girls were teasing her that they saw her undies, so she bent down to the ground and wrote "why am I stupid", then we all came over and said she wasn’t then the other girls ran off. Then it was me and her. Then she started crying. I told her to stop cause she not and if she keeps thinking bad thoughts of herself she might not make it though so she needs to keep trying.

Then one day we had a bully prevention meeting at school and my teacher said we should try to play with others and get to know them more, so at recess I played with her and I could tell she liked it and was having fun.

So try think about others and be nice cause you never know what they are going through.

Words Hurt

You should know bullying hurts, it starts with one word you decided to blurt.

Fat, ugly, worthless, these are words they hear, little did you know, your their biggest fear.

They panic as they read the messages you send, and it takes so long for their hearts to mend.

All they want is one true friend, but you make them want their lives to end.

You bully because you think its cool, but you make the victim feel like a fool.

This is when they say enough is enough, they hold back and try to look tough.

You think their weak but the victims are stronger than you, haven’t you seen what they’ve been going through.

You laugh as they cry and run away, little did you know you might not see them the next day.

So if you get bullied stay strong forever because you don’t want to feel disliked now or never.

I Might Seem Happy, But I’m Not

Hello my name is Amina and I’m 15 and a sophomore.

I might seem happy, but I’m not.

I get bullied for being obsessed with Justin Bieber.

Sometimes I’m scared to go to school because I don’t know what will happen, or who will come up to me and call me names and bully me for what I love. No one sticks up for me, not even my friends. They are scared too say anything, because they are scared if they do then they will get bullied too. I try to stick up for myself but it doesn’t always work out. Most of the time it just makes it worse. So then I just have to deal with it until I get home, then I can cry it all out.

Well I’ve tried telling an adult. Ive told both my parents and they don’t say much about it. My mom says it’s nothing major and that I should just deal with it. My dad on the other hand has told me that I deserve it because all I do is talk about Justin Bieber. No one should ever be bullied for what they love or for what they believe in.

So if you see someone being bullied, stick up for them, It could save a life and it will make a difference. And who knows, you could end up being good friends with them! Don’t let anyone get away with bullying!

~ Stay Strong <3 ~

Different

We are different in many different ways
Size, shape, and color,
Never meant to be the same.
Tall, short, skinny, or round
You have a voice
So make a sound.
We are different in many ways
You have a explosion inside you
Let it rain.
We are different in many different ways
Size, shape, and color,
Never meant to be the same.

If You Are Bullying, STOP

It was the first day of school.

I didn’t know anyone in the class, and i was shy, so I tried to warm up to the "semi-populars". We became good friends, and we still are now.

One day we had a field trip. On the bus, the semi-populars sat together, so I had no one to sit with, so I sat next to this girl. We talked and found out we had the same interests. I introduced her to the semi-populars, and we all became this "group". One of the semi-populars introduced us to a social media site. We made our own accounts and posted stuff.

A couple weeks later, my friend told me that she got a message from a girl called "Savy Fish". She called her stupid, and said she posed weird. She got really upset. It got to the point where she cut.

The semi-populars all of a sudden started acting . . . popular. They would wear neons, mustache rings, and zebra print. They cussed and gossiped behind people’s back.

One day, they started spitting on my friend. They called her names. They sometimes slapped her.

And dare I say it, I did some of it too.

I had no idea what I was doing. I wanted to fit in and become "popular". I guess I was clueless and never thought about my friend’s feelings.

Everything escalated to when she had to go see a private counsellor. The counsellor told her she had to take a risk test.

I felt so ashamed and angry at myself. I let popularity get in the way of my friendship, and I don’t think I will ever forgive myself for it.

Thankfully, my friend was kind enough to forgive me and the semi-populars for what we have done, and we’re still close.

And we think popularity is stupid.

If you think you’re bullying someone, stop. It isn’t right, and won’t make anything better.

I Am Not Going To Laugh

I have been left out of things and observed as an outsider since I started kindergarten.

I’ve been ridiculed because of my sense of style, the way I talk, and even my imagination. I don’t have any friends that have ever stuck up for me.

On my 13th birthday, I came home crying because everyone was acting as if I had contracted the Black Plague; everybody thought spending even a moment with me would mean certain death. People say I’m crazy and should be locked away with the key thrown away, but I believe any individual that gets pleasure with bringing someone down should be locked up instead and the people who join them because they want to fit in should go right along with the lot.

Everyone has their differences and nobody is perfect but if someone need to bring someone down to your level to be happy, their the one that is wrong, not me, just because I might talk funny or dress weird doesn’t give people the right to exchange words of cruelty towards me and laugh in my face.

People say that right now life is great. That we have machines and other people to do to do the hard work. People in my class complain about not having the newest game or gadget but they always seem to make fun of people who don’t have what they have.

I might not have the richest family in the world but I wouldn’t trade them for anyone or anything. I would rather be dirt poor with a good-hearted family than be filthy rich and have a mean and spiteful family.

I may be poor and not the prettiest person, but I’m smart. I can be patient and when those that hurt me have karma come back at them and they are hurting, I’m not going to be laughing like they would.

I’m going to help them.

Because that’s what a good person would do.

I Am His Advocate

I have an 18 year old daughter and 10 year old twin boys.  We are a very close family and I am very involved in their school and life.  The older our children get the more independent they become and the less they want their parents around. 

Nonetheless, I probe and talk and spend what time I can with them.  Two weeks before Christmas one of my 10 year old twins came home from school, wrapped a cord around his neck and attempted to hang himself.  His sister found him and from there was a whirlwind of four weeks of intense inpatient and outpatient therapy for my son as well as the rest of us. 

He had been bullied for months on the bus and in school and decided the only way to stop the bullying was to end his life. This was the first indication for me that anything was wrong with him.  After therapy he was still depressed and apprehensive to return to school but had to due to state regulations and because of the insurance companies denying payment for further treatment. 

So my son returned to school where the bullying continued and again two weeks later cut his wrist this time.  As parents it is hard to believe that a 10 year old would have the mind capacity to make a plan and follow through with it.

There has to be more that can be done for our children.  I have decided to take a stand.  I write to anyone who will listen.  I have taken a picture of him and blew it up so everyone at the school district will never forget his name or face at the next school board meeting.  The school told me not to talk about it but by not talking about it I am only adding to the problem and not the solution.

Suicide is rare at 10 years old so everyone needs to know that education needs to start earlier than middle school or high school.  It needs to start now, in kindergarten where kids are the most impressionable.  The parents need to be held accountable as well as the schools.  More people need to be involved and aware.  Ignorance is no excuse. 

My son will not be a suicide statistic.  I will fight to keep his story alive, keep the schools educated, and keep parents aware that it does affect everyone. I’m his advocate, his voice, and hope that others will know they are not alone.