The Internet isn’t always a friendly place. We’ve all heard about or seen cases of bullying through social media, but recently we’ve also witnessed some great examples of people using social media networks for good, to stand up against bullying.
You may have seen this on-air response from a television anchor who decided to fight back against bullying after she received a letter from a viewer who criticized her weight, or maybe you heard about what happened on Reddit after a young Sikh woman was mocked online.
Travis Price hosted a Twitter chat on bullying prevention.
Red Crossers are also tackling bullying online. Last week, we blogged about Travis Price’s tour through New Brunswick schools where he talked about bullying and how he started the pink shirt campaign. Travis presented to more than 10,000 students at assemblies, but he was able to reach even more people through social media.
Travis hosted a Twitter chat on the topic of bullying, a first for us, using the hashtag #redcrossbth. It drew participants from across the country, including students, educators, bullying prevention advocates, police and others. And how awesome are these students from Saint John. They wrote Twitter poems during the chat!
We’re also impressed with how students are using YouTube to spread the word about bullying prevention. This short video was created by Alisha Virmani who’s been involved with the Red Cross’ Beyond the Hurt bullying prevention program for several years. It features students from George Street Middle School in Fredericton.
You can also check out this film featuring Vancouver youth involved in Beyond the Hurt who share great tips on how parents can help.
Let us know if you see more great stories of people standing up to bullying online.