TYLA Project

End Bullying Now
By:  D. Lance Currie 

When I was a skinny freshman in high school, a senior decided he didn’t like me much and made it his mission to shove me into any nearby locker every time he saw me. Every time. Every day. For months. What I remember most about being bullied was the feeling of shame. The feeling that I couldn’t handle it on my own. I didn’t want anyone to know because I should have been man-enough to deal with the situation. I felt alone. I felt like no one could understand my story.

Of course, I was not alone. Eventually an authority figure got involved, and the situation was resolved. But I’ll never forget that sense of helplessness. I’ll never forget how alone I felt.

Unfortunately, I am hardly the only person ever bullied in school. Many others have felt what I felt—some getting help or otherwise handling it much better than I did. But I didn’t know about those others. I didn’t know about anyone else’s story.

With End Bullying Now, TYLA is fighting that feeling of being alone. End Bullying Now is TYLA’s new, comprehensive anti-bullying website located at www.biggerthanbullies.com. From the first moment you arrive at the website, you are presented with stories of many athletes, actors, successful business people, and others who have been through bullying and who share their story. The goal is to create a safe place where visitors learn they are not alone. Everyone has a one story. It all starts with one person telling that story.

After drawing in victims, bullies, and their families through personal stories, End Bullying Now provides resources on defining bullying, how to deal with bullying, tools for parents and educators, how the law interacts with bullying, and many other helpful topics. End Bullying Now is a continuation of TYLA’s long-standing commitment to serve Texas as the service arm of the State Bar of Texas.

I was not alone. Victims of bullying are not alone. Share End Bullying Now, and help end bullying in Texas and around the country. And tell your story. If you have a story you want to share, or know others who would tell their one story, please contact TYLA or share your story through the “Stories” link on the End Bullying Now website. No one needs to feel alone when bullied again.