Bullying (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Bullying

5:17pm Wednesday 27th February 2008

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BULLYING is something that I'm sure too many of you have experienced.

I myself have been the subject of taunts, poisonous nicknames and really hard punches. But how do you define bullying?

Friends muck about all the time. They take the mick and punch playfully, but it's all in jest.

But bullying, that hurts. It can make you feel anxious, scared and lonely.

There has been report after report about bullying, but words on a page don't convey the feelings of the young people who actually experience this. They just turn us into statistics.

You don't have to resort to violence. Most importantly, you don't have to turn into a bully, or change yourself to fit in.

And don't skive off school because you're scared - who wins then?

If you're being bullied, tell someone. Tell a parent, a guardian, a teacher. Ask a friend to talk to a teacher for you. Even ask your teacher if you can remain anonymous, so if the bully is caught, he/she won't know who told on them.

You may be reading this and thinking, that's easier said than done', but I can't stress this enough - tell someone. A problem shared is a problem halved.