“The Bullying Ends Now” created by middle school teens
You may have heard about Cassidy Joy Andel, the young North Dakota teen who committed suicide at home on November 4, 2010. Bullying on Facebook and by text messages are suspected as contributing to Cassidy’s decision to end her pain. No one ever knows a bullycide victim’s exact state of mind when the end is near, but cruel, thoughtless posts can’t be discounted as a factor.
Her story was seen by thousands on Facebook. Two middle school girls in Arizona decided to create a memorial page for Cassidy. Julia Kordon and Savannah Bocsh, both 13, put the Facebook page together and it grew to over 7,000 followers the first week.
Cassidy Andel
“We felt an ache in our heart for her and we just wanted to do something about it so we made the memorial page for her,” explained Julia. She went on to say “Their words mean so much more than they think they do, like when you say one simple thing it can mean a simple thing to you, but to someone else it can mean so much more.” Julia’s parents are proud of their daughter taking a stand against bullying. “Kids are talking about it in a way they may not have talked about it before,” Karen Kordon commented.
The girls have now expanded their message by starting a non-profit called The Bullying Ends Now. Their mission is to empower teenagers and young children to speak out and against bullying. They aim to raise awareness about the dangers of bullying through education, empowerment and grassroots activisim. Take a look at their website TheBullyingEndsNow.
“People need to be careful with their words because they really can hurt,” Julia said. “When it’s typed out it just hurts to see it again and again and again.”
Keep up the great work, Savannah and Julia. We need more teens like you.
Some students have told Julia that it’s not possible to end bullying. She doesn’t accept their pessimism stating, “It’s better to dream big and go all the way than dream small and not go anywhere.”
