My bully had long hair. My bully was tall. My bully made me feel confused.
I believe my experience with bullying has transformed me as person – positively. Yes, I felt hopeless. Yes, I felt inadequate. Yes, I felt lost.
Yet, this was also a time of discovery; a time when I found my inner strength, as well as a time when I was able to truly define my support system. It was also a period that taught me to have faith in myself and others.
Today, I stand four years ahead of my experience with bullying – stronger than ever. The reason I have been able to move forward from this experience is primarily because I chose to speak up. Now, I want to help others do the same.
The ‘My Bully’ project is a social awareness campaign designed for people to address and reclaim their experiences with bullying. Everyone has been bullied at some point, which can manifest in many forms: physical violence, psychological manipulation, name-calling, systematic social exclusion, etc. These experiences often do cause long-lasting harm to on one’s own self-image, interpersonal relationships, and mental health. The ‘My Bully’ project aims to help heal the damage done by ‘our bullies’, by empowering victims to share their experiences.
We will be conducting workshops at different non-profit institutions working with high school students across New Delhi. Our first workshop will be held at the Khwabgah School, an educational center which provide comprehensive development opportunities to children, adolescents, young adults and their families, in the slums of South Delhi.
Our primary goal is to help people re-experience their bully in a positive and newly empowered light. We hope to do this through an anonymous questionnaire, a series of discussions, and by creating an inclusive and open platform for all of us to grow together.
If you were bullied, take it in your stride. Your bully does not have the power to change who you truly are. There is light at the end of the tunnel; I can promise you there is hope.