Did you know you have the power to stop bullying? See how your actions in this scenario can affect the outcome.

It’s lunchtime. You and your friends are eating outside, talking about the weekend coming up and generally minding your own business. Ten feet away there’s a girl eating lunch by herself. She’s kind of a loner and a little awkward-looking. She gets teased a lot.

On the other side of you there’s a group of popular kids, boys and girls, all joking and laughing. You hear them saying mean things about the girl eating lunch by herself. One of the popular boys decides to have some fun.

He goes over to the girl eating lunch by herself and starts to flirt, telling her how hot she is and that he’s had a crush on her for years. With every word, the group of friends collapses in laughter. The girl turns red with embarrassment as she struggles to find the right thing to say that won’t make her the butt of the joke. The popular boy puts his arm around her and his friends laugh even harder.

You are right in the middle. You:

1) Do nothing. She’s not your friend. This is none of your business. She should learn to speak up for herself.

• You become the audience. The bully gets louder and more public, knowing that more people are watching. The girl starts crying. For the rest of the year the group calls her crybaby. The girl assumes that no one is on her side.

2) Walk away. Why be caught in the middle?

• With fewer witnesses, the boy gets braver. He starts grabbing her, pinching her. The teasing escalates to sexual harassment.

3) Say something. “What did she ever do to you? Just leave her alone.”

• The group gives you a dirty look and mumbles something like, “What’s her problem. We were just having fun.” Sensing the vibe has changed, the boy gives up and goes back to his group. It’s not fun anymore. The girl looks over at you and smiles. She picks up the rest of her lunch and decides to finish it inside the school.
  
  

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