Stand up against Bullying

It is anti-bullying week, so I have decided to share my story of what it feels like to be a victim of bullying. Having Asperger's Syndrome meant I was always different than a lot of other kids.By the time I hit my teens I was still more concerned with my passion for reading and knowledge rather than following the crowd and trying to be 'cool'. At the age of 13 I moved to Coventry and changed schools from a mixed school to an all boys school. Being an aspie means I fear change so I came across as anxious and awkward. Only a few months in the teasing and bullying started.

I was called names, made to feel unwelcome and physically hurt on a daily basis. People thought I was strange to prefer reading books over sport. Even though I always volunteered to take part in sports day, I never got thanked by people in my tutor group. As a coping mechanism during three years of bullying I isolated myself from others in hope of avoiding bullies when possible. By year 11 I hit breaking point as told both my mum and my teachers about the bullying. With a bit of will power I obtained the grades needed to do A levels.

The after effects though were damaging. I did well in my A levels but I was too scared to really get talking to people and so was unable to make close friends at sixth form. Then at uni I initially made friends but I did not tell them about my Aspergers and so they thought me to be rude and we drifted apart. Anxiety attacks were a daily occurrence for me in my first year in uni.

Completing the Prince's Trust Team Programme helped me to find my spark back. I made some good friends who continue to show kindness towards me. Moreover, I have come to believe that I was never in the wrong and that it was the bullies who were the problem, not me. It is perfectly fine to be different. Normal is a setting on a dryer machine and cannot be used to define a person. Today I read an article which said that bullying is on the decrease, but the figures only cover reported bullying. As a society we cannot continue to pretend that bullying is not a problem. Bullying needs to be stamped out.

The modern world faces many problems, but bullying is one that can be tackled now! We need to stop stereotyping people and start treating each other equally to show that true democracy can become a reality.