The Bully Project
During Taming Office Hecklers, I talk about schoolyard bullies for two reasons- schoolyard bullies can grow up to become workplace bullies and more importantly, who doesn’t have a child, or a niece or nephew or grandchild that they don’t care about?
Recently, a film called The Bully Project was featured at the hotdoc film festival here in Toronto.
At hotdocs, the film maker described having to intervene during student altercations. Apparently, now The Bully Project is being shown around at schools in the US in an effort to educate victims and bullies alike.
There is a father and a mother featured in The Bully Project ( in fact, they are in this trailer). I remember their heartbreaking story on 20/20 last year. Their son suffered from Asperger Syndrome. He was literally bullied to death. He hanged himself in his closet one day because he was so harassed at school. His father cut him down.
The next day at his school, a number of kids mocked the boy by wearing nooses around their necks. They were suspended for two days.
In another school, a girl made a cruel You Tube video about a girl in her class. She sent the link of the video to many of her school friends. When confronted, the school officials said they couldn’t do anything because ‘the internet’ was not considered school property.
Private schools in the states are getting a better grip on the problem and I’m happy to say that here in Canada, we’re more dialed in with mediating and consequences – although there are still big hurdles to overcome.
As with anything, awareness is the first step towards the solution. Silence helps the bullies.
This is why I am passing on the link and encouraging you and your kids to seek out and see the The Bully Project.
As Seen On
