Today’s
Bullying Prevention Difference Maker, Emily-Anne Rigal, was bullied in school. Kids laughed at her, isolated her, and made her feel humiliated. It got so bad that she had to change schools.
Gradually, Emily-Anne made friends at her new school. And as her world started to brighten, she asked herself what she could do to prevent others from feeling the devastation she had felt.
So she started
WeStopHate.org, a peer support website where kids can share their experiences with bullying—and share tips for building self-esteem. Emily and her org say that stopping school bullying comes down to helping kids "stop hating on themselves, stop hating on others, and stop letting others hate on them."
One of WeStopHate’s coolest tools for helping kids feel better about themselves is
Love, yourself letters. Teens and tweens can read others’ letters that focus on only positive things, and they can write their own. They can also
share inspiration on Facebook,
promote acceptance with BE YOU (TIFUL) T-shirts and WeStopHate wristbands, or start a
WeStopHate club at your school.
WeStopHate is all about helping kids learn to be kind to others—and to themselves. The aim is to help kids who bully as well as kids who are bullied, because as Emily-Anne says, “People who bully are people, too—hurt people, and ‘hurt people hurt people.’”
If you have students who need to learn how to manage their hurt, share
videos like this with them:
If you haven't yet, head on over to
31 for 31 for more about Emily-Anne other School Bullying Prevention Difference Makers.
Image from WeStopHate.org.