Words by Smiley Team
Bullying isn't a new concept, but it's increasingly garnering national attention as a public health issue in the US.
Both the victims and the bullies suffer short- and long-term physical and psychological harm as a result of it – and, because of the devastating consequences, it's now a clinical need that teachers need to be educated and prepared to recognize and handle in schools.
One student decided to use her experience to teach others how to work through their problems with bullying.
At school, 10-year-old Jayomi Douglas began to experience bullying and isolation – and the school became a bit of a battleground. Jayomi's mother, a teacher from Livingston, NJ, encouraged her daughter to write down her feelings so she could work through them constructively.
When Jayomi began to be bullied at school, she used this healthy, mature manner of processing her feelings. After reading those journals, Jayomi was inspired to create "The Misfit" with the aim of encouraging her classmates to not only treat her with more kindness but also to read more literature.
[Read More: The 10 happiest places to live]
Jayomi became a leader in the anti-bullying campaign as a result of her actions. “I was being bullied every single day at school and I felt like no one was doing anything about it," she wrote on her Instagram page.
“The story is about a 10-year-old girl named Hope who is experiencing being bullied at school and also at home by her older sister.
"It is unique because although Hope is a character I created, Hope is me, Hope could be you, Hope symbolizes that light at the end of the tunnel.”
The 10-year-old is currently enrolled at the Easton Arts Academy in Easton, Pennsylvania. Happily, she's doing well in all of her classes, though her favorite is reading, which is maybe predictable.
Her tale raises awareness about the risks of bullying and encourages, inspires, and uplifts others who have been bullied.
To learn more about “The Misfits,” as well as Jayomi – who calls herself a "young entrepreneur" on her Instagram page.
