Stop Bullying program launched by 6th Graders

17 sixth-grade students from St. Stanislaus Kostka School in Michigan City, Indiana are launching their Hey, Stop Bullying program school wide. This group of amazing teens and pre-teens is part of the Stop Bullying Task Force, organized by Hey U G L Y, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping teens and pre-teens overcome self-esteem and bullying issues.

Bullying is a huge issue facing students today. The task force wants to eradicate bullying in their school and act as an example to other schools across the country.

The task force will have each student in the school take the Hey, Stop Bullying pledge they wrote. One by one students from St. Stan’s will approach one of the task force members, raise their right hand and say “I promise to stop bullying and respect others feelings.” Then, on a 50 foot banner, each student will draw an outline of their hand and sign their name proclaiming their solemn oath. Task Force members will administer their Hey, Stop Bullying pledge to every student in the school.

The task force will educate the student body on their discoveries and advice on bullying. Following is an outline of what they discovered:

o The main causes of bullying are: The bully is being bullied, Insecurity/low self-esteem, Displaced Anger, Feeling left out, Peer pressure, Revenge, Depression and Feeling Scared.

o The main causes of bullying are: The bully is being bullied; is Insecure; has low self-esteem and/or displaced anger; feels left out; suffers from peer pressure; seeks revenge; is depressed and/or feels scared.

o If you are being bullied and fear for your safety immediately report your concerns to a teacher or counselor at the school. The task force wants all students to “watch out for each other by going to the aid of anyone you see being bullied. Go with them to talk to a teacher and tell them what you saw.”

The Task Force is launching a school-wide essay and art contest on the effects of bullying. They will also give advice to St. Stan’s younger students about how not to bully and conduct three self-esteem and diversity-building activities. Most important, the Task Force has vowed to be good role models.

“We originally contacted Hey U G L Y to help us create an anti-bully environment,” explained Dr. Sue Bryant, St. Stan’s principal. “It quickly became apparent that their approach to developing self-esteem directly attacks the bully syndrome. Boys and girls who feel empowered to be genuine and accepting of others don’t bully others and don’t usually become victims of bullies. We feel we got more than we asked for: A great approach to creating an anti-bully environment and a new program to help our students develop strong self-confidence.”

Hey U G L Y is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering teens and pre-teens with self-esteem and diversity-building programs, content and tools to help them counter bullying, eating disorders, violence, substance abuse and suicide. (UGLY is an acronym for Unique Gifted Lovable You.) Hey UGLY has helped over 650,000 students through their work with schools, community organizations and youth development professionals.

Contact Information

Betty Hoeffner

President and Co-Founder

Hey U G L Y, Inc.

Contact via E-mail