Junior Darren Richmond stands up for victims of bullying
By Josh Dermer
Junior Darren Richmond was recently recognized by the American Psychiatric Association for his contribution to Project Anti-Bully, a group was started by students around the country to raise awareness about bullying in schools.
Richmond was praised for his work Fabianna Pergolizzi, a high school student in Naples, FL. “She wanted to know if I was interested,” said Richmond. “And I said yes.” They were later joined by other students around the country.
The group distributed 586 surveys to seventh and eighth graders. The results revealed that almost half (45.1%) had admitted to being bullied.
According to Richmond, the statistics show the escalating danger of bullying. We have seen what can happen to the victims in extreme cases,” he said, “like what had occurred at Virginia Tech.”
“[Bullying] can cause the victim to be increasingly detached from society,” explained AP Psychology teacher William Presswood. “It can cause a person to become despondent and depressed, which in turn can lead to suicidal thoughts.”
Part of Richmond’s project focused on a phenomenon the group calls “cyberbullying.” According to Project Anti-Bully’s website, the term includes any form of harassment via the Internet, cell phones or other forms of technology. “Cyberbullying might just be more hurtful to a student,” Richmond said, “because now, whatever humiliating thing is being said about the student is there for anyone to see.”
Richmond and Pergolizzi compiled their information on a poster and submitted it to the APA for presentation at the annual meeting in San Diego, making them the youngest presenters in APA history.
The visibility of Project Anti-Bully’s work has raised awareness on the frequency of adolescent bullying. Some schools have elected “peace ambassadors” to combat its effects. “These are students,” explained Richmond, “[whose] job is to help new students and assist anyone who is a victim of bullying.”
The study found that 34% of students who were bullied did not tell an adult. “It surprises me how many students do nothing about it,” said Richmond.
“Anyone can be a victim of bullying” said Presswood, who explained that individuals can be targeted because of a variety of factors from religion to sexuality. “There is no clear pattern because there are socio-cultural and economical components that need to be considered”.
Richmond encouraged any student who knows a person is being bullied to seek help immediately. Visit projectantibully.com for more information.
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