Ready, Set, Race to Stop Bullying

April 20, 2016February 19, 2018 by Vlada Terenina

Have you ever been bullied? Chances are if you were, you still remember it. Even if you were the by-stander or the one bullying, the fear, confusion and hurt of bullying can cause lifetime challenges with physical and psychological symptoms. The fact is that North America is suffering from a bullying epidemic.

It’s up to each one of us to take action to stop bullying. Will you make a decision to address the current sobering facts? Nearly one in three school children in grades six through ten are being affected by bullying. Six out of ten teenagers say they witness bullying in school once a day. At least 52% of teens have been bullied online. Every day 160,000 children skip school due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. Bullying starts early: 20% of kindergarten students reported being bullied often. How many more bullying incidents are not even reported?

Our Safe Fleet’s United Against Bullying team is running in the right direction by joining the Vancouver Marathon on May 1^st to raise funds for I AM SOMEONE Ending Bullying Society. All proceeds from the run will go to the promotion of the free text messaging service, text ‘211’ 2TALK for young people who are being bullied and need assistance.

Through partnership of I AM SOMEONE with bc211, the texting service provides youth with immediate access to professional support for bullying issues they shouldn’t have to face alone. These kids need our support.

There are many ways to help stop bullying:

Make a donation at: iamsomeone/seon
Like and share our Facebook page asking for donations: facebook.com/unitedagainstbully.net or Twitter: twitter.com/uab_safefleet
Make bullying a conversation with your friends and family, especially your kids, to increase awareness and offer help, if needed
Model respectful relationships and kind, positive attitudes; kids are sponges and learn from what they see

“Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.” – Nelson Mandela

Thank you for any and all the many ways that you can make a difference and help end bullying.