BY SARAH SHOUSE
When I look around all I see is hate.
Hate in our community, online, in schools and in our country. I begin to wonder when we accepted this as our normal. Last year, Honeoye Falls-Lima High School helped me speak out by aiding me in creating a place where everyone can feel safe, cared for, and appreciated. This place is our club called Stand By.
We promote inclusion, acceptance, and selfless acts of kindness for the ones who have been targeted and fear being judged by our cruel society today. We aim for students at our school and those anywhere else in the world to begin to speak up for themselves or others and not to be a bystander, but rather fight for them instead. Not physically of course.
Collectively, our group has accomplished a stand point by giving out candy compliment bags as an introduction last spring and for this latest Valentine’s Day. We have also published a video on YouTube on the topic of bullying that traveled throughout the community. Most importantly, we have approached the younger grades and taught them about the issue and what to do about it and how to prevent it.
In the future, we plan to have inspirational speakers come talk to our schools as well as reach other communities and let this club appear in schools all over. A goal we focus on is we need a community that tries to understand one another rather than judging one another. Also, a community that works together, rather than against each other.
My group may be small, but together we will create something beyond belief and one day make society realize words matter and they have consequences. I encourage everyone to stand out, regardless what judgement is to come, and here is an opportunity to do something about bullying or harassment in your school or community or even online.
If you see something, say something, report it, block the messengers, there is always a way to end it, you just need to take action. I am doing this to show that people have a choice to choose something else before division and hatred. Especially, I want to give someone a reason to believe that everything is going to be okay. I have a chance to not just stand here and do nothing. So, join me, join us, and stand by others and help end bullying today.
