Peace Haven: Bullying Stops Here
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This website is for anyone who is/was a victim of bullying or for anyone who supports the fight against bullying. As the name suggests, I want this to be a Peace Haven for all of those who come onto here. This is a place where you can share your experiences, read the experiences of others, ask for and give help. I wish you all the best in life and please remember that you are not alone; there are people who do truly care about you!
I've had several people ask me why I created this website. Well, it's a long story and a difficult one for me to tell, but I am willing to share it in the hopes that it'll help people realize that they are not alone. I moved from New York to Florida right before I was 10. I was bullied for my New York accent. I had difficulty making friends because of this and that just made the bullying worse as people saw me as a socially awkward outcast. What started out as simple teasing escalated to daily taunting by both my peers and even a few of my teachers. I felt hurt, alone and like there was no escape.
When I was 13, I had the most humiliating experience of my life. A group of kids got a video camera and filmed a boy putting his hand down my shirt and it was during class and the teacher saw what happened and did nothing. I kept silent for 4 years because I assumed that those kids did nothing wrong since the teacher acted like it was no big deal. Well, let me tell you, it was a big deal. I was scared to have people so much as put their hand on my shoulder, even family members.
When I was 15, I was wrongly accused by a classmate for turning their friend in for drugs. I didn't even know said friends name, let alone that they had drugs in their school locker. This person stalked and threatnened me on a daily basis and a couple of times he pushed me into the wall. He would shout obsenities at me, but would run back into the crowd that was in the hallway before I even got a glimpse of who he was. What hurt me the most was that each time I had about 50 witnessses (mainly other students) who saw what he did to me and no one stepped up to help. Some of them even laughed at what had just taken place. It took 6 months before I was able to identify who he was. I had horrible nightmares and flashbacks afterwards and was diagnosed with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). It took me years to get over the Anxiety and Depression caused by this.
I moved back to New York a year and a half later in order to get away from all the bullying (I was bullied every year that I was living in Florida, but just decied to share my two worst experiences). It took some time for me to trust others and open up again. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I haven't forgotten all these bad experiences and I probably never will. Also, I probably look at life through a slightly tainted lens because of this, but I'm trying not to hold these past experiences on those I meet now. While I was going through this, I tried researching resources online: what was considered bullying (to see whether or not I was overreacting), places to go for more information, places to go for help and just to know I'm not alone. That's why I created this website. I want to have everything in one place so others who are going through what I did can have what I didn't. If this website helps to save even one life, than all the work put into this was more than worth it. Speaking of worth it, remember you are worth it and your life is worth it!
I've had several people ask me why I created this website. Well, it's a long story and a difficult one for me to tell, but I am willing to share it in the hopes that it'll help people realize that they are not alone. I moved from New York to Florida right before I was 10. I was bullied for my New York accent. I had difficulty making friends because of this and that just made the bullying worse as people saw me as a socially awkward outcast. What started out as simple teasing escalated to daily taunting by both my peers and even a few of my teachers. I felt hurt, alone and like there was no escape.
When I was 13, I had the most humiliating experience of my life. A group of kids got a video camera and filmed a boy putting his hand down my shirt and it was during class and the teacher saw what happened and did nothing. I kept silent for 4 years because I assumed that those kids did nothing wrong since the teacher acted like it was no big deal. Well, let me tell you, it was a big deal. I was scared to have people so much as put their hand on my shoulder, even family members.
When I was 15, I was wrongly accused by a classmate for turning their friend in for drugs. I didn't even know said friends name, let alone that they had drugs in their school locker. This person stalked and threatnened me on a daily basis and a couple of times he pushed me into the wall. He would shout obsenities at me, but would run back into the crowd that was in the hallway before I even got a glimpse of who he was. What hurt me the most was that each time I had about 50 witnessses (mainly other students) who saw what he did to me and no one stepped up to help. Some of them even laughed at what had just taken place. It took 6 months before I was able to identify who he was. I had horrible nightmares and flashbacks afterwards and was diagnosed with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). It took me years to get over the Anxiety and Depression caused by this.
I moved back to New York a year and a half later in order to get away from all the bullying (I was bullied every year that I was living in Florida, but just decied to share my two worst experiences). It took some time for me to trust others and open up again. I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I haven't forgotten all these bad experiences and I probably never will. Also, I probably look at life through a slightly tainted lens because of this, but I'm trying not to hold these past experiences on those I meet now. While I was going through this, I tried researching resources online: what was considered bullying (to see whether or not I was overreacting), places to go for more information, places to go for help and just to know I'm not alone. That's why I created this website. I want to have everything in one place so others who are going through what I did can have what I didn't. If this website helps to save even one life, than all the work put into this was more than worth it. Speaking of worth it, remember you are worth it and your life is worth it!
