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SAVE & CLOSE

Joining the Fight Against Online Bullying

Posted on by Sydney Wilhelm

When I had my first encounter with online harassment, I didn’t know what to do. At the time (2009) people weren’t talking about online harassment like they do now. Although there were cases such as Megan Meier, it wasn’t a common subject. People then and now still don’t realize that online harassment has the same effect as physical harassment. The effects of online harassment can be even more severe.

Most people think of bullying as physical harassment or in-person harassment, where the victim can physically run away and escape, but when it comes to online harassment, there is no escaping these virtual bullies. Technology is involved in everything people do and it’s hard to completely disconnect. Victims often have to fully remove themselves from social media in order to get away from the harassment. Why should the victims be the ones who are punished and who have to remove themselves from participating online?

Since online harassment was not talked about when I first experienced it, I was embarrassed and thought it was my fault. I tried to hide what was going on. It wasn’t until somebody else brought it to my parent’s attention that I started to open up about it. Once my parents knew, it was better for me. I had the support from them to help me get through it.

The online harassment I experienced continued for so long because I didn’t say anything to anybody; I just took it. After my parents got involved, I learned that I should have been capturing everything the bullies said and did to me so I could take it to my middle school. After presenting what happened to my middle school, they told us there was nothing they could do. Because the harassment wasn’t happening on school grounds, they said they didn’t have any power to interfere. But they were actually going against their own policy by saying that! In fact my school did have a policy on online harassment; they still wouldn’t do anything about it.

Even after we presented school administrators with a folder, multiple inches thick of things bullies were saying to or about me and after countless of meetings, they wouldn’t do anything. That’s when the police had to get involved. But yet again, because this was happening online, they couldn’t do anything about it. They just told me I needed to log off of my social media and get a new phone number. Why should I have to suffer even more?

With my parents involved, I finally got the help I needed. That didn’t mean my depression and anxiety went away; but it did mean that it wasn’t me against the bullies. I was building an army and we were ready to fight this war. I no longer had to fight alone.

After going through that experience, I learned that you need to tell someone what is happening. Whether it’s a parent, family member, friend, or someone you trust, anyone is better than no one. You also need to be capturing everything and anything they say or do. Evidence is a bit part of proving your story and getting support and help. If your school doesn’t do anything like mine didn’t, you can take that information to the police. If they don’t do anything, don’t stop presenting your case to people. Somebody will help you.

If you know someone who is experiencing online harassment or you witness it yourself, you have a few options. The first being that you can step in and say something to the bully. You can try and intervene but that doesn’t mean you can bully the bully. Your can also take a screenshot of what they said and take it to your school.

What is NOT one of your options? Being a bystander. You may think it’s better to stay out of it, but your actions can make a big difference.

If you’re ready to pledge to stand up to online harassment, take the Hack Harassment pledge. It’s all about creating a kinder, braver world online and ending cyberbullying. Take it here: http://www.hackharassment.com/pledge/

City of Kindness

Posted on by dev_admin

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1415″ img_size=”500×325″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]On June 26th, 2016 Born This Way Foundation co-founder Lady Gaga joined philanthropist Phil Anschutz and His Holiness the Dalai Lama to challenge America’s cities to be kind. The panel met in front of more than 200 mayors from across the county, where they discussed the role that kindness can play in improving the mental health of citizens, and how current “cities of kindness” – like Anaheim, California – have also experienced a decrease in crime.

As a result of this discussion, the mayors voted unanimously to commit to 100 billion acts of kindness across the country. To help support this ambitious goal, Born This Way Foundation is proud to be a part of City of Kindness – an organization launched with the leadership of Mayor Tom Tait of Anaheim, one of the driving forces behind the kindness movement. Mayor Tait ran on a platform of kindness and won. To hear more about his story, check out his guest post for Channel Kindness.

Cities across the country are embracing the tangible power of kindness, bringing together community leaders, elected officials, and young people to create positive change. Want your city to join the movement? Tell your mayor you’re ready to make your city a City of Kindness! [/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/ikBi_qVJKis”]

The City of Kindness Movement was all over the news:

“Dalai Lama, Lady Gaga urge kindness in Indy,” Brian Eason, Indy Star

“Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: The Dalai Lama, Lady Gaga and a billionaire investor walk into a roomful of mayors… to talk about kindness.”

“The Dalai Lama And Lady Gaga Joined Forces To Talk About This Essential Human Value,” Carol Kuruvilla, Huffington Post

“We bet you’ve never seen a meeting of the minds quite like this one.”

“You need to hear what Lady Gaga and the Dalai Lama have to say about kindness,” Jessica Wakeman, Hello Giggles

“Talk about a double whammy: this weekend, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lady Gaga shared the stage together at the U.S Conference of Mayors for a plenary session on kindness.”

“Dalai Lama, Lady Gaga talk of kindness at mayors conference,” The Associated Press, WTOP

“The 14th Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism on Sunday gave the keynote address of the United States Conference of Mayors gathering in Indianapolis. He later discussed America’s role as a global leader.”

“Mayor wants to adopt ‘City of Kindness’ as Dubuque motto,” Matt Kelley, Radio Iowa

“Dubuque will soon be known as the City of Kindness, if Mayor Roy Buol has his way. He’s attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors this week in Indiana.”

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InspirEd

Posted on by dev_admin

InspirEDOur partners at Facebook created an amazing online tool called inspirED. The site is a resource center designed by teens, educators, and SEL experts to empower high schools to create a positive school climate and greater well-being for young people.

inspirED TeamStart an inspirED Team at Your High School:

If you want to create a positive change at your school you can start your own inspirED team! Bringing an inspirED team to your school will allow your school administrators, teachers and students to work together to create a more positive school community. If you are interested in starting a team, find out how to get started here.

The Importance of Social Support

Posted on by Dr. Sue Swearer

Close up of happy father carrying daughter on shoulders

We all need support from others. Our Born Brave Experiences research and other studies have found that social support helps reduce feelings of isolation, depression, and anxiety. Individuals who experience social support from family, friends, and coworkers are happier. New research shows that this support is especially critical for people who may feel different, like transgender individuals.

Did you know LGBTQ individuals are nearly 3 times more likely to experience a mental health condition like depression? Past research has painted a disheartening picture when it comes to the mental and emotional health of transgender individuals. A study of young, transgender women showed they experienced far more mental health crises than their peers. But, it doesn’t have to be this way! By providing support and accepting people for who they really are, we can make the world a better place for everyone.

In fact, an exciting study was recently published in the journal Pediatrics that found that parental support can give trans children a huge boost. Researchers discovered that with early acceptance from parents, these trans children did not have higher levels of depression than their cisgender peers. It’s clear that embracing someone’s real identity can make a huge, positive difference in their life.

In our research here at Born This Way Foundation, we’ve found that social support is a vital important protective factor for everyone, particularly individuals who face discrimination. Unfortunately, many trans individuals face bigotry and harassment every day. We hope to end discrimination toward trans individuals by raising awareness and teaching everyone the value of embracing differences.

Our work on this important issue is just beginning. Your voice is critical to making this research a success and I hope you’ll participate. We’re learning so much from our Born Brave Experiences research and I would be honored if you would share your experiences with us by taking the Born Brave Experience Survey.

Thank you for helping us to create a kinder and braver world!!!!

In kindness and bravery,

Dr. Sue

Every City Can Be A City Of Kindness

Posted on by Born This Way Foundation Team

This past Sunday, our co-founder Lady Gaga asked 300 mayors to join us in our mission to create a kinder, braver world. Lady Gaga joined the Dalai Lama and the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, to discuss the power of kindness and compassion.

To start the conversation, Lady Gaga and His Holiness The Dalai Lama met to have  a one-on-one conversation on the topics of kindness and compassion. They answered your questions about how we can help young people overcome depression, eating disorders, and other mental health crises. They discussed everything from meditation to connecting with the rest of humanity.

Lady Gaga and the Dalai Lama then joined Phillip Anschutz from RAK on the main stage. Together, they talked about how we can overcome tragedy and the value in changing our perspective. If you missed their discussion you can watch their inspiring conversation here. And, you can see the highlights from the online conversation below.

Perhaps most importantly though, they called on all of us to join them in making every city a City of Kindness. Can you imagine what the world would be like if every city was a City of Kindness? We need your help to make this a reality! Tell your mayor you’re ready to help make your city a City of Kindness!