Blogging Against Bullying

[gehayi]

Does anyone know of any anti-bullying sites for kids, LGBTQ or otherwise, that don't live in the United States? I've been trying to find sites for kids that live in Canada, in Europe, in Central and South America, and so on, and I can't find anything that isn't based in America. And while America definitely needs a lot of help, I can't think that

Comments

[lilacsigil]

Kids' Helpline has a sexuality page and a lot of other anti-bullying and kid/teen-empowering information, plus a free helpline. It also has links to GLBT-specific helplines.

It's so frustrating, because it doesn't have to be this way - I was a fat, lesbian, nerdy, clumsy teen, and yet bullying was very rare and very short-lived, because my (small, rural, Christian) school had an excellent and actually enforced anti-bullying policy. Back in the late 80s/early 90s, even. And yet, we still have problems like Australia's major anti-depression effort, Beyond Blue, not bothering to address GLBT suicide until GLBT organisations publically pressured them into doing it.

[gehayi]

Oooh, thanks, I'll add that one.

And you're right. It doesn't have to be this way. It SHOULDN'T be this way.

I confess that I've only heard about schools with anti-bullying policies. I'm much more familiar with the "Kids will be kids" attitude which says that it's up to the victim to get along better with the bullies.

[lilacsigil]

My younger brothers attended the same school, and a new headmaster came in after I'd left and dismantled most of the policy in favour of a "more Christian" approach of pretending it didn't happen. This was supposedly making the school a more tolerant and friendly place to be; it certainly reduced the number of bullying complaints because there was no-one to whom students could turn.

[gehayi]

Thank you! I appreciate it!

[becky_black]

You know I see American high schools in fiction on TV, in movies and think "they can't actually be as bad as that in reality, can they? I mean it's like Lord of the fucking Flies in there!"

Then I read stuff that makes me think the depictions on TV must in fact be toned down. It's very disturbing.

[gehayi]

Trust me. It's toned down a LOT.

And as I keep saying--it's not just the LGBTQ teens. It's kids of minority race, kids of unpopular religions, kids from the wrong country or of the wrong ethnic heritage, disabled kids, fat kids, and girls of all shapes and sizes. If you don't fit in some way, you're a potential target.

The second scariest thing in the world is being in school with people whom you know hate you and want to see you utterly humiliated, broken in mind and spirit, and dead--preferably in that order.

The scariest thing in the world is knowing that these people not only want to see you dead, they want to kill you...and they'll get away with the murder because the adults around you will say, "Well, they're just kids. They don't know any better."

[becky_black]

It sounds awful. Of course bullying goes on in British schools too, but never quite so systematic! The schools are not divided into such distinct factions the way American ones seem to be. And maybe the teachers are more proactive. Maybe they're allowed to be so in ways they aren't in the US, or at least aren't expected to be.

[law_nerd]

Canada has a Kids Help line as well... http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/teens/home/splash.aspx. I know they've been active in the GLBTQ communities, doing outreach. And they have anti-bullying info.

[gehayi]

Thank you! I'll add that!