Bullying Awareness Month

With the passing of October being "Bullying Prevention Awareness Month", theres been a lot of talk about how bullying is a major trend that has been growing in the United States, which is leading many people to look for ways to try to prevent it.

In honor of the youth who have taken their lives due to bullying, October 20 is now known as Spirit Day where people can participate and wear the color purple in order to show awareness. Spirit Day was started by a young girl named Brittany McMillan who wanted to recognize the many who have committed suicide because of this major issue that seems to be a problem all over the United States.

California was recently named one of the worst states to live in when trying to avoid bullying, which makes many worry about what is going on in the schools in which their children are attending. "It seems like all I hear on the news is how some child has killed themself because of the way people treated them at school. It is really sad and it makes me so scared to send my own son to school everyday" said Martha Martinez, a mother of a student at Eastlake Elementary.

Bullying has taken a new level and is able to reach a person in the comfort of their own home by the use of cyber bullying. With all these new social networks, it is now a lot easier for many to bully others as well. "I am ashamed of doing it but when I was in high school I did make fun of a couple of people. It was a lot easier to do it online too because you're not in front of the person" Jiovan De la Torre, a San Diego State University student said.

With days like Spirit Day and even celebrities including Queen Latifah, Lady Gaga and Chris Colfer that are speaking up against bullying, it seems to be inspiring many to spread the word of Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Brianne Butcher, a student at Southwestern College, has organized an event in Chula Vista to bring awareness to bullying with "Friendly Water Fight Against Bullying". This event will take place on Sunday, November 27 at 3pm. No specific location has been set yet, but she plans to let her followers know soon. There will be a donation box at the event and all proceeds will go to The Pacer Center's Teens Against Bullying.