Teasing and Bullying

What is teasing and bullying anyway?

Being teased and bullied by others is the opposite of belonging. Teasing and bullying can make your life miserable. It can make you angry, sad, scared, and leave you feeling pretty bad. There isn't much of that going on here at The Youthhood, but that's probably not the case in the real world, is it?

So what exactly is teasing and bullying? Teasing and bullying can be any of these things:

• Spreading rumors or gossip about someone
• Excluding someone from being part of a group
• Talking behind someone's back
• Making mean jokes about someone
• Laughing at someone because they are different than you
• Being verbally abusive to someone (swearing at them, calling them names, or putting them down)
• Being physically abusive to someone (hitting, kicking, punching, pushing, tripping, biting, and other physical assaults)

Teasing and bullying is something we don't ever support here at The Youthhood. But in the real world, we all know it happens a lot.

You may not be able to control what somebody else does, but you can control what you do, take responsibility for your actions, and work toward positive change.

You might be the one who was teased or bullied, or maybe you are the one who has teased or bullied others. Hey, it doesn't really matter. What matters is what you choose to do about it!

See also the page on Dealing with Discrimination.