Help Stop Cyberbullying!

Help Stop Cyberbullying!

       Hello, this is IGL and this post is about cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is using technology to bully someone else. Today, many people all around the world are abusing technology to hurt an individual’s feelings in a devastating way. Any network used can hurt someone, such as Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter. Or you could simply just send a cell phone text. If you tease someone, their feelings can get hurt in a considerable way. Cyberbullies are in a sense cowards. They, instead of saying something face-to-face, they tend to hide behind a computer or phone. When cyberbullies are confronted and exploited, they really have nothing to say.

          Whenever something inhumane is done, consequences are sure to come. Even if you're friends or close to someone, they might interpret your message differently than you intended. You can be a cyberbully simply by passing on a picture or something private to people you know. If you get a picture sent to you that could be embarrassing or humiliating to someone, it is humane nature show everyone something exciting. However, this could hurt someone very much. People can make some actions that are drastic, such as self harm or suicide.

          Megan Meier was a young, 13-year-old, diagnosed with depression and ADHD, who lived in the state of Missouri. She was bubbly, goofy girl who loved spending time with friends and family—she killed herself in 2006 by hanging. Megan Meier was a user of MySpace, and she found herself an online friend by the name of “Josh Evans”. They exchanged messages and became friends. Moments later, “Josh Evans” began to send her hurtful messages. She couldn't talk all this hate any longer and hung herself in October 2006. It turns out that this Josh Evans isn't real, and the people who made the account where Lori Drew, Sarah Drew, and Ashley Grills. Sarah Drew was a friend of Meier, and when she heard that Megan allegedly called her an “ugly lesbian”, she and her mother, Lori Drew of 49 years of age at the time, created the MySpace account along with Lori’s employee, Ashley Grills, 18. They taunted her and finally, the message that sent Meier to the doorsteps of Death, said “The world would be a better place without you”. The Drews and Grills were sent to court about the case. An adolescent and two adults were involved in the suicide of Meier. Instead of having a talk between parents and adults, Lori Drew cyberbullied a young girl.

          Tina Meier, Megan’s mother, created a foundation called the Megan Meier Foundation. It represents all the consequences and aftermaths of cyberbullying. Tina has traveled all over the United States to teach children of all ages the matters of cyberbullying and what might happen afterwards. Today, the Megan Meier Foundation reminds people of the terrible effects of gruesome cyberbullying.

          There are many ways for you to help. You could:

1. Start a petition and get people to sign it.
2. Spread the word about cyberbullying.
3. Encourage your friends or yourself to stop spreading private media of others that could hurt their feelings.
4. If you are a victim of cyberbullying, remember to stay strong and know that people are there for you and people who love you.
5. Volunteer/donate at the Megan Meier Foundation (site: meganmeierfoundation.org ) or other organizations.

Help Stop Cyberbullying!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Alcoholic Parents

Alcoholic Parents

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about alcoholic parents. Many families have children with adult parents that are addicted to drinking alcohol. This may cause many family issues and problems, and tear many relationships apart. Alcohol controls the mind and body. It changes people’s moods and instead fuel aggressiveness, causing dramatic mood swings, when people have too much. This is called being drunk. Even though it leads to such bad effects, the person has to have it because they’re addicted.

          Alcohol, leading to unwanted incidents, can bring harm and emotional pain to others. Parents may argue over something small and they can eventually stop cooperation in becoming fatherly or motherly. Drunken people can physically harm children through their aggressive and nonsensical actions. Persisting alcoholism can lead to divorce, tearing the child apart. Keep in mind, this is the alcohol’s doing, not the parent’s for the most part.

          Many times, children may blame themselves for the alcoholic doings. A parent’s alcoholism is never the child’s fault. Reasons such as money and business may drive a parent to wine or beer, but the child/children are never the cause of such actions. If you are someone just as I described above, it may be hard for you to believe me, but you should never take the blame for an alcoholic parent.

         The Center on Addiction and Family is a part of the Phoenix House organized for helping families with alcoholic issues and professional information to recover. They teach these dysfunctional families on health and positive influences and strength. To spread their cause, they write articles which can be easily read on their website.

          There are many ways to help. You could:

1.     Tell someone about alcoholism in families

2.    Write an article for the newspaper or post a flyer

3.    If you are a victim of alcoholic parents, tell someone and get professional, therapeutic help

4.    Tell yourself and others that it is not their fault for an alcoholic parent

5.    Donate to the Center on Addiction and Family organization

Make a change for alcoholic parents!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Stop Child Abuse

Stop Child Abuse

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about child abuse. Child abuse has been a major conflict in the world for many years. It is when a child is abused physically or emotionally under the age of eighteen by an adult. It hurts the child and breaks trust from the child to others, maybe causing social disabilities in the future. Child abuse doesn’t tend to happen in a certain place. It could happen in any place, economy, race, or population. No matter how much you apologize to that victim, it will never be the same. For example, take a piece of paper and crumple it as hard as you can, no matter what. Then apologize to it and smoothen it out thoroughly. Now observe. The paper will never be the same, just like a child.

          Physical abuse is when a guardian/parent abuses the child with contact of their body. This includes hitting, kicking, punching, slapping, whipping, and more. Many parents believe physical abuse as a discipline is the best way to teach a child how to behave. However, if continued on, the child will live in fear instead of understanding the meaning of the “lecture”. Some parents instead physically abuse their child out of anger or some unimportant reason.

          Emotional abuse is somewhat like bullying, but between a parent and a child. Putting down a child is not okay, and certainly will break trust between a parent and the child may dislike the adult. Limited affection and screaming/threatening will hurt a child’s feelings.

          Child neglect is when a guardian/parent takes care of a child but does not meet their needs. Failing to give the child food, shelter, clothing, education, or hygiene is child neglect. If an incapable mother has a baby that she cannot take care of, she should resort to giving it up for adoption (safe haven law). Substance abuse or unstable ability is also counted as child neglect. A safe environment is always needed for a child.

          Child sexual abuse is when a child has come into contact with an adult sexually. Usually, it is a person the child knows, like a parent. Both boys and girls can be victims, but males don’t usually report it because they have a feeling to be brave and fearless. Never think that a child is joking about sexual abuse and call the police.

          There are many signs that a child is being abused. For physical abuse, unusual injuries, intense all the time, uneasy when people lightly touch them, or wearing irregular clothing (like long pants on a hot day). For emotional abuse, low self-esteem, extremely demanding or aggressive, irregular behavior, or a detachment between a child and a parent are signs of emotional abuse. For child neglect, inappropriate clothing for the weather, untreated illnesses, incomplete cleanliness, or constant tardy are usual signs. For child sexual abuse, knowledge of sexual behavior, trouble walking or sitting, doesn’t want to participate in activities, avoiding a specific person, receiving an STD or getting pregnant before the age of 13, and running away from home are constant signs of child sexual abuse.

          Drug and alcohol abuse, witnessing domestic violence, lack of support and parenting skills, and if a parent has an untreated mental illness all are risk factors to child abuse. If you know something about a child being abused call the police.

          There are many ways to stop child abuse. You could:

1. Start a petition and get people to sign it.
2. Spread awareness.
3. If you currently are abusing a child, stop!
4. Donate to organizations that help stop child abuse.

-Stop child abuse!

-Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Stop bullying

Stop Bullying!

          Hello, this is IGL. Our project is a very important message to EVERYONE. This project is bullying, something nobody wants to become a victim of. Bullying includes put-downs, teasing, vandalism, gossip, rumors, cyberbullying, racism, sexual harassment, Physical abuse, threats, and exclusion. This is a negative thing that everyone can stop.

          Once upon a time, there was a middle school in the California Bay Area. That middle school was an ordinary middle school. They had the loners, the bullies (populars), the nerds, the Goths, the genetically disordered, and the jocks. We’re pretty sure there weren’t any plastics since it’s a middle school because that would just be weird.

          In that middle school, there was a girl we will just call “A”. A was bullied by many people but she had some friends. They were good friends, but she also had some bad friends. The bad friends (aka the bullies) were backstabbing bullies and she never had a clue about it. They did many horrible things to her. They used a form of bullying called cyberbulling, where they use technology to hurt someone’s feelings. They sent texts to everyone and convinced them that A was a bad person. They also posed as A and sent people rude texts. One person, named “B” was a bad friend. B was a bully, and had a lot of bully friends. One of B’s bully friends schemed a plan for B to make a recording of saying many horrible things about A. B’s friend sent that video to everyone by e-mail, and sadly, to A too. A was hurt, and she never got over it.

          Another time was when IGL witnessed this act. A was walking over to the trash can, and some girls were also having lunch there. The moment A walked over, the leader of the group of girls threw some food at A. The food was solid and hard, and A got hurt, both emotionally and physically. This is called Physical Abuse. The people also called A ugly, stupid, annoying, and disgusting. They excluded her away from their group whenever A walked over, trying to make some friends. This is Put-Downs, teasing, and exclusion. They spread rumors and gossiped of how she did badly on a test, and things like who she went to the dance with then how her date ditched her there. This is called rumors and gossip. They threatened A of telling people she liked bad things about her if she didn’t do something they wanted A to do for them. This is called threat and vandalism. That is how A lived.

          There is another time in a different school of the same area. There was a boy and a girl. The girl shall be called “C” and the boy shall be called “D”. C was always a happy go lucky girl, until D one day decided to upset her with his bullying. C wanted to play a game with D and his friends at recess. But D decided to play a cruel game. He said that girls couldn’t play sports because they were too weak and sports were only for boys and men. This hurt C very much. Whenever it was PE, C was excluded whenever she was in D’s team to play a sport. This carried on for years. This is called Sexual Harassment.  Sexual Harassment could also be related to sexual innuendos.

          It was a year later in fifth grade when D was in C’s class—again. In class, one day, an argument rose from a table. A girl was arguing with D about something, and then suddenly D shouted out about him being Australian, and said how Asians were stupid and always looked like “this” *puts his two fingers to the edges of his eyes, raised them up to form chinky eyes*. This shocked the teacher and half the class since half the students were Asian. This is called Racism.

          All these were schools that members of IGL went to. Sadly, this is the problem with the world. And one result of bullying could end up terribly wrong. It is called self harming.

          Self harming is when a person hurts themselves to relieve pain. Self harming is bad! B-A-D bad! And usually, this happens when someone is bullied too much. Self harming could be in different forms like an eating disorder. If you know someone who is self harming themselves, tell someone immediately!

          Once upon a time, in the California Bay Area, there was a high school. Once again, they have the bullies and the bullied. A teenage girl was bullied, so bullied that she decided to self harm herself. She was bullied so much, that she tried so many different ways to kill herself. One day, she was rushed to the hospital, and died in early morning. That is why bullying is BAD.

          Even though it seems that this could be difficult to accomplish, YOU could stop bullying. There are many ways to stop bullying. You could:

1. Stand up for someone. Standing up is when you confront a bully and tell them to stop bullying the victim.
2. Tell an adult. You could tell a trusted grown-up when bullying is present
3. Don’t bully anyone yourself. Bullying could cause a lot of pain.
4. Spread the idea to stop bullying yourself.

As you can see, if you do these steps, you could stop bullying!

-Idea+Gift=love IGL