Bullying has reached epic proportions but never before have schools and communities come together to combat it like they are doing today. So many organizations and school administrations are working to eliminate bullying. Schools and school buses are the primary places where bullying occurs because children who are a little bit different stick out more in big groups, making them easy to target.

Since the film, “Bully” came out, it has inspired many to take action. As part of The Bully Project, one courageous boy with autism did just that by confronting his tormentors.
In the video filmed at Jake’s school, Jake is seen in gym class trying to participate and be part of a team. He is often seen by himself and being ignored. The video clip was made as part of The Bully Project, a social campaign created to help end bullying.

Jake stammers a little through his speech to the rest of his gym class but what he has to say is poignant and meaningful. He calls the other kids out for not seeing him for who he is but rather as a target. He tells them that they always leave him out and don’t him or what he says any attention. He tells them that he tries to be their friend but he doesn’t think they want to be his friend. Jake says it hurts that they don’t want to get to know him.

At about this point in his speech, the camera pans to some of the kids. A few are listening with somber expressions. Other giggle and laugh. Jake sees it and calls them out, ‘I see you guys laughing.’ The giggles stop.

After making the video, Jake told the filmmaker that things have gotten better. He explains that bullying has made a major impact on his life but since making the movie, he’s been able to make a lot of friends. He advises other kids with autism to stand up to the bullies and to try not to give a reaction to the bullying. If they can’t get results on their own, he suggests bringing an adult into the situation. He knows it’s hard because kids with autism don’t handle stress as well as other kids. That’s okay, he says because they can get through it and they’ll be awesome. Actually, Jake says they are already awesome.

This week a very heartbreaking video and story have been circling the internet and over the course of a few days millions of people have seen the video. The video was shot by a student on a school bus in New York and after it was uploaded to Youtube the world reacted very quickly.

Throughout the 6 minute long video dozens of kids were seen bullying and harassing the elderly bus monitor until she began to cry, nothing was done to punish the kids or resolve the situation in the video but an online fundraising group has done what they can to remedy the situation. The video originally went viral early this week and in just a few days the online fund has raised over $350,000 for the woman.

The response has been absolutely overwhelming according to the women in the video and thanks to the new found internet fame she has been able to speak out against bullying and harassment around the country. The funds that have been raised will go in part to her, and in part to a variety of anti-bullying groups so that hopefully this sort of incident will not continue. The fact that the internet response has been so overwhelming is very heartwarming and the victim in the case has been able to reach millions of victims that suffer from bullying every day and will hopefully be able to make a difference in people’s lives.

In recent weeks there has been a great deal of attention drawn to the issue of bullying with the release of the documentary “Bully” in theaters. A former Escondido, CA woman chose to deal with the issue in her own way. After being bullied in her California high school 25 years ago, she chose to let former classmates know how she felt by sharing a poem she had penned on a class Facebook page. The results have been surprising …and healing.

Lynda Frederick led a hard scrabble life growing up in a strict religious home in Escondido. Often, she went to school so hungry she was forced to beg for food. Sometimes she had to wear the same clothes for several days without laundering them. While others rode the bus, she walked. Bruises were visible on her body. No one asked why, they just used these as reasons to pick on her. Unable to participate in holiday celebrations at school because of her religion, she was often spat upon or suffered rocks being thrown at her.

After the poem appeared, Frederick got a rash of phone calls and messages, sometimes from people she didn’t even remember. Most wanted to apologize for participating in the bullying or not stepping in to stop it. Others simply lent their support. The experience has been overwhelming.

Kristi Malone is one of the people who remembered Frederick and regrets how she handled the situation. She says now that it never occurred to her that she could stand up for Frederick, 42. Shawn Gordon, 43, also from Escondido remembered how he, too, stood by as Frederick was taunted and repeatedly tripped. With tears in his eyes, he shared the poem and his experiences with his own teenage daughters.

Frederick was able to graduate school early in 1987 and relocated to Rochester, NY. The mother of three, Frederick has made peace with many of her former classmates and even calls some of them her friends.

As for her classmates, they are so moved by Frederick, her experiences, her poem and their part in it all that they are attempting to establish an annual scholarship named for her. They have also raised $800 which will be used to fly Frederick back to Escondido for a class reunion.

Today, Frederick knows what to say to her own 14 year old daughter, also a victim of bullying. She advises her to let kids know that if they don’t like how she looks, they don’t have to look at her. Her new motto in life is while we can’t fix the damage wrought by our past, we can work to fix today.