You've Got the Power

1 in 5 students today experiences bullying. Bullying stops within 10 seconds of someone intervening, but 85% of time, no one steps up. Why? Because they don’t know what to do.

That’s why DoSomething.org partnered with Hasbro’s Power Rangers for the You’ve Got the Power campaign! Young people have the power to beat bullying -- and to help younger students do the same.

DoSomething members submitted an incredible 39,000+ anti-bullying tactics, enough to create the largest crowdsourced anti-bullying guide EVER! Read below for a sample, and use the tactics to join our anti-bullying movement that’s for students, by students.

Jeremy Lin Knows You’ve Got the Power

NBA player Jeremy Lin shared his own experience with bullying, and how one coach helped him find the power to overcome haters, doubters, and trolls.

There are a ton of extremely effective and proven ways to tackle bullying in your school and community. Of the 39,000+ tactics students submitted, here are the four most common.

1. Respect Yourself

And insist that others respect you too. Know your worth, and remember that you deserve to be treated with respect and decency. You are great. You are different. And you are great because you’re different. Maintain the mindset that you’re a unique and amazing person, and that you deserve to be treated well, no matter what.

2. Be Compassionate

Loving yourself is crucial, and showing love and care for others is too. This could mean doing one random act of kindness every day or posting positive sticky notes around your school. It could giving a compliment, sitting with a new student at lunch, or simply asking someone, “How’s your day going?” and taking the time to listen. By showing classmates you value them and care about their lived experience, you can help others learn to love themselves and create a culture where people are accepted and respected.

3. Speak Up

Going from bystander to upstander can be really hard. It’s also one of the best ways to shut down bullying on the spot -- more than half the time, bullying stops when someone intervenes. Sure it’s scary, but just a few words can change everything. If you see someone being bullied, try saying, “Ok, you’ve made your point” or “Just leave him alone” or “Come on, enough already.” You could also take the bullied student by the arm and say, “Come with me. Let’s just ignore them.” Know that you DO have the power to say something -- and that thousands of students are stepping up to do the same.

4. Talk to Someone

Whether you’ve seen bullying or experienced it yourself, sharing the experience is really important. This isn’t “tattling” -- it’s being a responsible person and informing adults about a problem they’re not aware of. Telling a trusted adult like a teacher, parent, or counselor gives them the opportunity to makes changes that will keep everyone safer in school. And getting stuff off your chest is therapeutic and important also. Find a friend or a sibling -- they’ll be glad to listen to you and offer advice on what to do.

Extra Resources

Looking for more ways to step up to bullying? Visit our partners at The Child Mind Institute or at No Bully.

DoSomething.org is the largest not-for-profit exclusively for young people and social change. Our digital platform is activating 6 million young people (and counting!) to create offline impact in every US area code and in 131 countries.