Bully. Thug. Oppressor.  No one likes to think these terms would ever apply to them, but we all play a role in contributing to bullying of some form.  The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) indicates that, nationwide, 20% of students in grades 9–12 experienced bullying. This is a decrease from even three years prior, but doesn’t take into account cyberbullying which is difficult to track.  The costs of bullying touch everyone: the victim, the witness, and the instigator. All types of bullying can also lead to depression, lower academic performance, and substance use.  It’s time not only to be informed but also to take action, and students should find some way to show their support on Oct. 22, National Anti-Bullying Day – to learn more and bullying and what you can do to stop it, check out the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services site: http://www.stopbullying.gov/

To hear Shane Koyczan’s spoken word poem “To the Bullied and the Beautiful” performed for TED talks, click here.