By Brice Lewis, 16, Youth Farm participant
What is a bully? You’ll get different answers depending on who you talk to. For some, it’s something small and simple, and for others, it leads to thoughts that make some youth feel like giving up.
I’ve been bullied, and it’s not fun. As a young Black man growing up in St. Petersburg, I can tell you I’ve also watched others be bullied. I’ve seen firsthand the pain that bullying can cause.
In our generation, so many people bully over social media. They talk about your appearance, clothing, and your sexuality/gender identity. Young people are typically alone when reading these messages without having someone to speak to about it.
Schools provide some education about bullying but not enough. Many young people don’t seek support within the school system for fear of the bullying continuing and possibly getting even worse. If schools provided more bullying prevention programs, the act of bullying could potentially decrease.
Online, a bully is a person who seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable on social media. As a result, I feel that bullying should not be tolerated in any shape or form.
It is not right for anyone to go through that; therefore, I will always be a friend to anyone being bullied. #BeAFriendNotABully #StopBullying #BullyingAwareness #LoveNotHate
