FACTSHEET

�

How can you help stop bullying [bull-ee-ing]?Bullying is a big problem for people of all ages.

Find out how you can help stop bullying.

“Easy Target”People often bully others who they think are “easy targets”. This means they think that a person will be easy to bully. A person may seem easy to bully if:

they are alone a lot;seem to have low self-esteem;will not fight back; orwill be easy to push around.

Do not make yourself an “easy target”You can:

go places with a friend.sit by an adult that you trust at lunch or on the bus.be confident [con-fi-dent]! Practice confident body language in front of the mirror.

Some-times, even if you try not to be an “easy target”, bullies may still pick on you.

••••

•••

Confident means that you are sure about your-self and what you can do. It looks like you are confident when you keep your shoulders back, your head held high, and you make eye contact.

�

Be prepared if some-one picks on you

Think about things to say and do.Do not call the bully names. You can have some things to say back to the bully.Here are some things you can say:

“Here we go again, tell me when you’re done.”“Okay, done?”“I don’t do this to you, you should really think about what you are doing.”“That is funny, but stop it already.”“I am not sure why you keep saying these things to me, but it does not really matter.”“I’ve given you a lot of chances to stop this. If you do it again I will report it.”

Remember to stay calm and confident when you say these things.They are called come-back lines.

Do not be an easy targetThere are some things that bullies look for when they pick some-one to bully.Here are some things to help you not be a target:

Do not bring things to school that cost a lot of money.Do not bring things to school that mean a lot to you.Do not go alone to places you know the bully will be.If you do not like some-one or know they do not like you, stay away from them.

•

••

••

•

•

•

•

•

�

What can you do if you are being bullied?

Even if you try to stay away from them, some-times bullies will still find you.Here are some things you can do if you are being bullied:

Speak up!

Ask the bully to stop.Talk to the bully about some-thing that may interest them.Let them know their words do not hurt you.You can do this if you use a come-back line or try to laugh with them, even if you do not think it is funny.Stand up for your-self. But do not start a fight or make fun of the bully.

Treat them how you want to be treated

Try to treat the bully the way you would like to be treated, even if you think they do not deserve it.Let them know you will not stand for how they treat you.

Use self talk

Self talk is when you think about things to remind you that you are a great person.If you say to your-self “I will not get upset. I am strong. I am confident. I am a good person” it may help you feel better.

Do not get upset

Show the bully that you are not upset or mad. Some-times bullies bug you because they want you to get mad and upset.

•

••

••

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

�

Walk away

Do not pay attention to the bully if they will not leave you alone. Do not listen to what they say. Walk away!

Get funny

Do not get mad, get funny. It shows you are not scared, even if you are. You can practice funny things to say with your friends and family.

Protect yourself

It is not worth getting hurt to protect the things that belong to you.

Be A.W.A.R.E.:

Avoid situations where you could get bullied.Walk and talk with confidence at all times.Assert yourself and tell others to stop.Report bullying to school staff.Enjoy school every day because it is your right.

Teach othersIf you are teased about being different, learn about what makes you different.You can teach the people who tease you about your difference.If they know more about you and why you are different, they may not think it is funny to tease you.You could find some-thing to do where your difference does not matter, like a sports team or a club.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•••

�

Get help!

If some-one says they will hurt you, do not say any-thing to them and walk away. Get help.Your safety is the most important thing!It is okay to report any kind of bullying! Bullying is wrong. You should always ask for help. Keep asking an adult you trust for help until you get it!

How do you report the bullying?

Write down every-thing that happened. Include what other people did to help you.You should report these things:

What happened to you and when.Who was bullying you and who saw it happen.Where did it happen and how often it happened.

How does what you do impact the problem?It is important to think about how your actions could make the problem bigger or help the problem.Is there anything that you do that makes the bullying worse, or that could stop the bullying?

If you talk to the person after they have asked you to leave them alone, this could make the bullying worse.If you have not been nice to some-one, they may bully you to get back at you.

•••

•

•

�

How to prevent Social Bullying?

You do not notice social bullying as much as other kinds of bullying.This is because it hurts a person’s friendships which is hard to prove.So, be careful when you pick your friends. They should always be nice to you. You should never be scared that if you do or say some-thing “wrong” they will be mean to you.You can try to stop social bullying if you tell a parent, a teacher or an adult you trust what has happened.

How to prevent Cyber [sigh-burr] Bullying?

Here are some tips if you are bullied on the internet or with a cell phone.Report cyber bullying to an adult you trust like a teacher or your parents.Keep your pass-word and contact information private. This includes your phone number, e-mail address, and home address.Do not say or do any-thing online that you would not say or do in person.Make sure you know who some-one is before you add them to your friend list.Do not erase mean messages. Keep them so that you have proof when you report cyber bullying.Block the sender’s e-mail address or phone number if they are sending you mean e-mails or text messages.

To learn more about cyber bullying, you can check the resources fact sheet for places to go for more tips.

•

•

•

•

•

•

�

Help stop bullying!

You can help stop bullying.Report it, and talk to an adult about it. They can help you! If bullying is a big problem at your school, ask your parents to talk to the principal about a way to stop bullying in the school. Do not put up with bullying in your school, groups or communities. It is not just a part of life.

Guard Against Bullying is a resource kit developed for people with low English literacy created by The Vocational and Rehabilitation Research Institute, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Phone: (�0�) �8�-����

8

The VRRI Research Department would like to thank the funders who made this project possible: Alberta Children and Youth Services - The Community Incentive Fund, Telus, and Lethbridge Detachment Victim Assistance Society. We would also like to thank our partners for helping us create this resource: VoicePrint Canada, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Calgary and Area, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Lethbridge and Area, Developmental Disabilities Resource Centre (DDRC) of Calgary, Boys and Girls Club of Lethbridge, and Lethbridge Community Network.

Funded by: Partnered with:

Other Bullying Fact sheets

What is bullying?You will learn about what bullying looks like. You will also learn about the different kinds of bullying.

Bullying RolesYou will learn about the people who are part of bullying. You will learn about what role you play.

Where can you learn more about bullying?You will learn about websites and places you can go to learn more about bullying and get help.

•

•

•