Are my friends being bullied?

My friend is being bullied.

• Seeing a friend being bullied puts you in a tough situation. You don’t want to seem uncool and you don’t want to have the bully turn on you, but you don’t want your friend to be hurt. So what can you do?

  • Buddy up! Don’t leave your friend (or yourself) alone at times when the bullies typically attack. Sit with your friend at lunch. Walk your friend to class. Walk to the bus stop together. Bullies like to go after individuals, not after pairs or groups.

  • If you know bullying is happening, take a stand. Talk to your friends in advance, and ask them to join you to stand up to the bully. A bully likes to feel powerful, and you can take that power away when a group takes a stand against the bully.

• Talk to your friend. Make sure that you acknowledge what is going on so your friend doesn’t feel alone.

• Counteract what the bully does by boosting your friend’s self-confidence.

  • If the bully makes fun of your friend’s clothes, compliment what your friend is wearing, say you like their style or shoes.

  • If the bully takes your friend’s lunch money, offer to share your lunch with your friend.

  • If your friend is picked on because of their race/religion/culture, ask your friend to tell you a story about their customs.

  • Put yourself in your friend’s shoes. If you were the one being bullied, what would you wish for your friends to do? Do it!

• Talk to a trusted adult about the situation to see if they can help your friend to make the bullying stop.