Anti-Bullying Conference Held

TYLER — An informative event was held in Tyler over the weekend to address a growing problem. Saturday’s bullying conference in Tyler, “The bully, the bullied and the bystander” featured noted author and speaker Barbara Coloroso. Her goal was to inform and educate about what bullying is and what it isn’t. “It begins about age 5 with little girls feeling it’s ok to exclude other little girls and works all the way up to the point where we have young people killing themselves cause they can’t take it anymore,” Coloroso said. Coloroso considers bullying to be inflicting pain on another and taking pleasure in that pain.

It’s an age-old problem, but bullying has recently gotten a technological face-lift. “Internet and cell phones, cyber bullying, that has such a tremendous impact. It used to be years ago, I could go home and get away from the targeting but now our young people are facing it 24/7,” Coloroso said.

She says stopping the cycle of bullying is a community job, because neither parents nor schools can do it alone.