To a stranger, Caine Smith looks like a happy little boy: he goes to school every day, rides his fold up scooter and likes to read Harry Potter and play video games in his spare time.
But in spite of appearances, he has few friends and is constantly bullied for being part of an alternative family (Caine has two moms).
He could have told a teacher about what he’s going through, but instead he chose to put his thoughts into writing, and came with an inspiring message for Texas’ Birdville Independent School District: “You have the power to make the changes.” Caine, who had long thought he was helpless, went to a school board meeting and presented his story before a visibly humbled audience.
“Every day in your school, civil rights are violated, children – your children, are violated in many ways. Not many of them are strong enough to speak out about what is happening to them. Here I am, Caine Smith, standing before you on behalf of those students. How will you fix this? What changes will you make to ensure we all feel safe in your schools?”, he asked the members of the school board.
His brave initiative was featured on a Bully Project documentary, where he revealed that he is threatened, abused physically and verbally, thrown against the wall, choked and ridiculed almost on a daily basis. His story is shared by thousands, if not millions of kids who are living through a similar ordeal, and feel like they’ve got no one to turn to.
Unfortunately, although efforts are being made to raise awareness about school bullying, many children are still missing adequate support from their families, friends and teachers.
Bully Project is social action campaign that strives to take bullying awareness a step further. So far, it has managed to reach over 2 and a half million American children. Its goal is to work with children, parents, teachers and social advocates to build a national movement and eventually see an end to bullying.
Sources:
www.upworthy.com
goodmenproject.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.thebullyproject.com
