The Facts About Bullying

Research

Bullying is a social problem that occurs everywhere and in every form, effecting millions of children every day. It can be presented in different ways, such as physically, mentally, indirectly, and through technology (cyber bullying).  Stopbullying.gov defines bullying as "[...] unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.".

According to makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org, 

Physical bullying includes:

• Hitting
• Kicking
• Pinching
• Punching
• Scratching
• Spitting

or any other form of physical attack, including taking or damaging someone else's belongings.

Verbal bullying includes:

• Name calling
• Insulting
• Making racist, sexist, or homophobic jokes
• Remarks or teasing
• Use of sexual or abusive language
• Offensive remarks

Indirect bullying includes:

• Spreading false and/or offensive stories about someone
• Exclusion from social groups
• Being made the subject of malicious rumors

There are 7 types of cyber bullying which includes:

• Text message bullying
• Picture / video clip bullying via mobile phone cameras
• Phone call bullying via mobile phones
• E-mail bullying
• Chat-room bullying
• Bullying through instant messaging (IM)
• Bullying via websites

 or any other type of bullying that is  carried out by an electronic medium.

Bullying is commonly seen in schools among children but occurs everywhere with people of all ages. According to pacer.org, 64% of children who were bullied didn't report it, and only 36% reported the bullying. The reasons for being bullied reported were because of:

• Looks (55%)
• Body shape (37%)
• Race (16%)

Center for Disease Control stated that "Students who experience bullying are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, and poor school adjustment." and "Students who bully others are at increased risk for substance use, academic problems, and violence, later adolescence and adulthood.". Also, 1 out of 10 students drop out of school as a result of constant bullying. (dosomething.org)

Students with disabilities are two to three times more likely to be bullied than non-disabled students.  (pacer.org)

81.9% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students were bullied last year, resulting in 63.5% of them feeling unsafe because of their sexual orientation and 43.9% because of their gender expression. (pacer.org)
Suicide as a result of bullying has increased by more than 50% over the last 30 years in children aged 10-14 years. In 2005, 270 children in this age group alone, killed themselves.
Why do students become bullies? Students may learn to bully by observing parents or siblings at home. Children who receive negative messages or physical punishment at home tend to have negative expectations or self concepts and reflect that onto others. Students who have friends or are apart of groups who participate in bullying may want to show off at school and are reinforced when no or inconsistent consequences come of it, and they will continue to bully others. (nasponline.org)
"Bullying statistics say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings [...] Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school-shooting incidents." according to makebeasnotbeatdowns.org.

Only half of educators have been trained on how to handle bullying situations. According to a study conducted by National School Board Administration, 33.1% of middle school and high school student agree that teachers can stop bullying. That means, 2/3 of students believe that they cannot go to their teachers for help. (kidpower.org)
Four ways of how to stop bullying include:

• Increase bullying awareness
• Respond forcefully and respectfully (Early intervention)
• Teach children protective skills
• Become involved (Parent and teacher training)

Bullying could be prevented if people stop and think before they communicate with others to avoid hurting someone.

I am against bullying because it is not something that could result in a positive way. It harms self esteem and could threaten the safety of others. There is also no excuse for the act of bullying, due to everybody in the nation having equal rights and a no discrimination policy. Bullying has negative effect on both the bully and bullied, and is destructive to their health (whether emotional or physical), in people of all ages.
Sources
Pacer
Make Beats Not Beat Downs
Do Something
Kid Power
Stop Bullying-What Can You Do?
Stop Bullying-What Is Bullying?
Nasp Online

Design

10 adjectives that would describe bullying:

1. Destructive
2. Cruel
3. Vindictive
4. Ruthless
5. Selfish
6. Scarring
7. Aggressive
8. Hateful
9. Ignorant
10. Rude

Images that may pertain to bullying would be of children who may look sad or helpless for a sadder effect on bullying, or of children of different races, gender, and body shape standing together for a more positive anti-bullying (encouragement) poster. "Word bubbles", like what you would see in comics, with quotes could also be used.

Sans-serif fonts should be used because bullying is not a playful matter. It should be treated seriously through bland fonts UNLESS quoting a child, which I would then use a non-cursive script font to emphasize the words coming from the child. I feel it would leave a bigger impact.

Due to it's concerning, serious theme; colors used should be calmer colors, except with the use of red. Red is the kind of color that will stand out and express urgency. So, I would use lighter shades of color and possibly a deep to normal red (no shocking / bright ) shade. Using these colors would make the poster easier to look at with the most important information standing out. It won't become overwhelming for the viewer to look at it.