How To Stop Bullying: A Resource Guide

By: Kanza Shams

For: SOS Josh Hunt Safety Award 2014












Bullying is a problem that plagues many Canadian schools. From young children, to high school
teenagers, everyone has experienced bullying at one point in their lives. Why is bullying such a prevalent
problem? How does one identify and stop bullying when they experience it themselves or see it
happening to someone else? How can schools be made bully-free and inclusive communities? The
following resource guide answers these questions and was created to help students and parents identify
bullying, and includes tips and steps one can take to assist those that are being bullied to help put an
end to bullying and teen violence. These tips are based on my own personal experience as a high school
student, and as someone who was bullied from a young age and someone who has learned to stand up
to her bullies and helps those that have experienced bullying as well. This resource guide also places a
lot of emphasis on the individual and their actions, and encourages everyone to look at their own
behaviour and make sure that they are not a part of the problem. The emphasis here is on you, what
you, as an individual can do to put an end to bullying and teen violence.
1. Identify The Bully
This step can be particularly difficult, because the bully might be you or one of your friends. Yes, its
possible; you might not like being identified as a bully, but it might be true, and before you can start
making a difference, you must ensure that you are not part of the problem. If you or your friends like to
gossip about other people and make fun of them for their appearance, even if it is just a joke it can
still be emotionally scarring for the person you are talking about. Making fun of others, name calling or
even just dirty looks thrown their way can be seen as bullying. If its one of your friends that is doing the
name calling or crude jokes, STAND UP, and call them out on it and tell them to stop. So the first step
begins with YOU and your own initiatives to ensure that you or your friends are not part of the reason
that others are being bullied and feeling unsafe.
2. Stand Up For The Victims
This step is also somewhat difficult to do, but is definitely worth the courage to stop bullying when you
see it. DO NOT be a bystander and walk away if you see someone being bullied either physically or
verbally. It can be a bit nerve racking to walk up to the bully and tell them to stop, but it is necessary if
we want our schools to be safer and bully-free. Research shows that the bullying ends in almost 10
seconds if someone is brave enough to step in and call the bully out. If you are unsure of what do to do
you can distract the bully by yelling, lead the victim away from the bully or call over a teacher. Be
comforting to the victim and make sure they are okay. This step requires a lot of courage and
compassion but if you are brave enough to stand up to the bully and not be a bystander, and then you
can help make the schools a better and safer place.
3. Report The Bullies
If you have seen someone bullying someone else, whether it was physical (punching, kicking, pinching,
pushing) or verbal (name calling, harassment, threats) then you must tell the authorities about this,
preferably the principal or vice principal at your school. You might feel as if it is not necessary to report
the bully, but it is necessary to help put an end to bullying so that it does not get out of hand. If the bully
is not known by authorities or he/she is not cautioned about his/her behaviour, it can lead to serious

consequences. The bully must be stopped as soon as possible in order to avoid other kids from being
bullied, harassed or even killed. You must be brave and ensure that bully cannot do any more harm to
others by reporting them to the authorities.
4. Start A Help Group
If you or someone you know are truly willing to make a difference in your school to stop bullying and
help those who have experienced bullying, abuse, harassment or have simply been lonely, depressed or
anxious because of something they indirectly experienced, start a group with a teacher or counsellor
that you trust that invites people to come and talk about their experiences. You can hold the meetings
at your lunches or after school, and organize activities that everyone can participate in. This group can
also offer those who dont have many friends to hang out with at lunch to come and meet new friends.
Here are some ideas for your Anti-Bullying / Postivity Group:
Sit in a circle and have everyone introduce themselves and talk about a big event in their life
that shaped them
Read the SOS Safety Magazine to help raise awareness within the group as to how they can deal
with bullying, teen violence, suicide, peer pressure and prevent it from happening
Brainstorm events that you could create at the school to spread positivity such as putting
positive sticky notes on everyones lockers, have everyone in the school wear a certain colour to
raise awareness for bullying, make a play/speech/poem that could be presented to the school
about bullying etc.
Go out during your lunches and befriend anyone that might be sitting by themselves or looking
sad/lonely and invite them to join the group
Help spread positivity and love in the school community and make sure no one is left behind!
Make posters and announcements inviting people to join your group whether they have directly
or indirectly experienced bullying or if they just want to spread positive vibes
Create an online group on Facebook where people can join and submit their ideas as well. Also
you can start a Tumblr blog and have people from your school anonymously submit any
concerns they might have or if they need advice. That way, you and your Anti Bullying group can
go through the questions they submit and provide answers to help them out!
FOR PARENTS:
If you are a parent and want to help make a difference in your childs lives and prevent bullying from
happening then here are some tips as to how you can help your child and stop bullying and teen
violence from happening:
The manner in which you treat your kids and others, directly reflect how you influence your kids
behaviour, so make sure to treat everyone with respect so that your kids will do the same.
If your child is experiencing bullying at school, they might not tell you about it, so its your
responsibility to COMMUNICATE with your child and know if they are experiencing emotional

scarring/trauma or if they have anxiety, depression or are self harming. Make sure to take time
to sit down with your child and talk to them to let them know you are there for them.
If your kid is part of the bullying problem make sure they know that it is not acceptable to tease
and be rude to others! If teachers complain or want to talk to you about their behaviour, dont
wave them off if you are convinced that your child wouldnt do something like that. YOU NEVER
KNOW.
The most important thing EVERYONE can do is to be compassionate, caring and loving towards one
another. Cut out negative speech from your language and encourage others to do the same, stay
positive and never bring any one down! Hopefully this guide will empower you to be a more active
person in the community and to help put an end to bullying.
If you are interested in learning more about bullying and other teen issues and how you can take action
against them check out these websites:
Prevent.ca
Stopabully.ca
Bullyingcanada.ca
Bullying.org
Pinkshirtday.ca
Stopbullyingcanada.wordpress.com