Dear Bully

And this brings me to my inspiring last paragraph. The teasing subsided by the end of junior high. I went to high school and made new friends and had boyfriends and fell in love for the first time. I went to college and then became a novelist (my grown-up version of playing dolls!) and met my husband and got married and we now have two beautiful boys. No one teases me anymore. I feel safe in my life. Those hellish years are over.

Okay, one more paragraph. Because even though those years are over, they’re not. Being bullied is part of who I am today—in the way I think, the way I treat people, the way I raise my children. It was scarring. Now and then I have to take a deep breath and fend off the inner voice that says I’m, well, a hoser. But it also made me a deeper, more sympathetic, more compassionate person. It’s allowed me to write novels about teen characters and really feel what they are going through. Which, in turn, has resulted in letters from readers like you! Yes, I wish I’d never been bullied (enter magic wand here). But I’m writing to say that there’s hope on the other side. Hang in there.

Love,

Carolyn

Resources for Teens

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE

A twenty-four-hour, toll-free suicide prevention service available to anyone in suicidal crisis.

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

THE BOYS TOWN NATIONAL HOTLINE

A toll-free number available to kids, teens, and young adults at any time—if you’re depressed, contemplating suicide, being physically or sexually abused, on the run, addicted, threatened by gang violence, fighting with a friend or parent, or if you are faced with an overwhelming challenge.

1-800-448-3000

www.boystown.org/national-hotline

www.yourlifeyourvoice.org

NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE AND NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT ONLINE HOTLINE

A free, confidential, secure service that provides live help operated by RAINN via their telephone hotline or website.

1-800-656-HOPE

www.rainn.org/get-help

TREVOR PROJECT

The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources including their nationwide, twenty-four/seven crisis intervention lifeline, digital community, and advocacy/educational programs that create a safe, supportive, and positive environment for everyone.

www.thetrevorproject.org

REACH OUT

Reach Out is an information and support service that uses evidence-based principles and technology to help teens facing tough times and struggling with mental health issues. All content is written by teens, for teens.

http://us.reachout.com

THE JED FOUNDATION

The Jed Foundation works nationally to reduce the rate of suicide and the prevalence of emotional distress among college and university students.

www.jedfoundation.org

IT GETS BETTER PROJECT

The suicide of fifteen-year-old Billy Lucas inspired “Savage Love” columnist Dan Savage’s website, where musicians, politicians, artists, and many, many more talk openly about growing up gay—and sharing how life got better.

www.itgetsbetter.org

RAVEN DAYS

“For surviving middle school, junior high school, and high school as a hunted outsider.” An organization for outsiders who are being bullied at school, for adults who remember what it was like to be bullied, and for those who want to help.

www.ravendays.org

Resources for Educators and Parents

STOMP OUT BULLYING

Stomp Out Bullying, a national antibullying and anti-cyberbullying program for kids and teens, is a program of Love Our Children USA.

www.stompoutbullying.org

TEACHING TOLERANCE

Teaching Tolerance, a program of the Southern Poverty Law Center, aims to reduce prejudice and improve intergroup relations in the nation’s classrooms and communities. Teaching Tolerance’s Mix It Up program is a national campaign that helps K–12 teachers develop inclusive school communities.

www.tolerance.org

INTERNATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION ASSOCIATION

The mission of the International Bullying Prevention Association is to support and enhance quality research-based bullying prevention principles and practices in order to achieve safe school climates, healthy work environments, good citizenship, and civic responsibility.

www.stopbullyingworld.org

GLSEN

The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students, envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

www.glsen.org

MASSACHUSETTS AGGRESSION REDUCTION CENTER

The MARC website offers free resources on bullying prevention, cyberbullying education and prevention, and violence prevention.

www.bridgew.edu/marc

STOP BULLYING NOW!

A campaign that presents practical, research-based strategies to reduce bullying in schools.

www.stopbullyingnow.com

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR AGAINST SUICIDE

NOPCAS was formed to stop the tragic epidemic of suicide in minority communities.

www.nopcas.com

THE OPHELIA PROJECT