Last Monday, we talked about bullying, specifically the type that shows up through words, put downs and degrading comments masked as "jokes." Throughout the night a few things became clear:

1. Everyone has been verbally bullied at some point in their life.

2. Everyone has verbally bullied someone else at some point int their life.

3. The pain that comes from verbal bullying can last a long time.

4. It's hard to stand up against verbal bullying because you don't want to receive the same type of attention nor do you want to come off as someone who is nosy or can't take a joke (when the person just says, "Hey man, I was just joking!")

5. But, we must stand up against it! We can do that by:

• Not being bullies ourselves. Take a look at what you say to to others and make sure it's not hurtful.
• Don't play the game of worrying about power and popularity. Instead, choose to stand up to other bullies. Remember the times you were on the receiving ends of put downs or harsh jokes. It felt pretty bad. Make sure you step in, even if your image might be affected.

Have a good week and we'll see you next Monday! Make sure you check out the pics from that night as well!