Cyberbullying Encounters Inspirational Hearts of Today's Youth

I know a sweet little 5 year old girl who is one of the sweetest girls on this planet.  Always smiling, always makes other people smile, always a bundle of joy to be around. Sadly, she’s being bullied at school. Right now the bullying she encounters is much like the bullying that existed when I was a child – face to face, in person, direct nastiness. 


It’s heartbreaking to hear that such a sweet little girl is being bullied.  What’s worse is knowing that she is likely to encounter cyber bullies as she grows older.  It took me awhile to wrap my brains around cyberbullying, but now that I know of its magnitude and impact on our youth, I am convinced that something needs to be done to combat it.

In the case of a young child such as Natalie, we parents still have a great impact on how our children’s self esteem and worth is nourished.  As they grow older, however, they tend to tune us parents out.  This is where other kids and teens can step up and help in this battle against bullying.  Kids listen to kids.  Teens listen to teens.  Youth armed with an inspirational heart for others are possibly the greatest weapon in this war against self-worth-robbing bullies. 

Author and parent advocate, Sue Scheff, wrote an excellent article that expounds on this idea of youth reaching out to inspire others.  It’s titled, “The Best Answer We’ve Seen to Cyberbullying Yet.”  In short, it lists the following “Takeaway tips”:

• Kids can be teachers too. The more they learn about online safety, the more able and willing they will be to mentor others.
• Create a club in your school where kids can learn to look out for each other.
• Be part of a proactive community of helping others learn about being safe online.
• If you witness cyberbullying, don't be a bystander, be an upstander.
• Youth unite worldwide against bullying. Join willUstand and make a difference in the lives of other kids

 You can read the article in its entirety HERE. It’s good to know that people like Sue are inspiring others through their writings and actions.  It’s even better to know that the types of teens she mentions in her article, such as those of Westhighbros, who are helping to make a positive difference, are out there in numbers. Now that’s inspirational!