The reality of bullying in schools
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people, and bullying is one of the contributing factors.
According to various studies, school bullying already affected 1 to 2 victims per class in 2015. The widespread use of social media has now amplified this problem.
Before the internet, bullying among young people existed but was confined to school. Now it follows victims home, into their private lives, like an ever-present threat that plunges them into isolation and despair, hence the importance of talking about it.
I personally suffered from bullying at school for four years. Today, I realize several very important facts:
1- I did not feel heard or supported because even though I talked about it, it was minimized. When you listen to victims and their families, you realize that this is often the case: bullying is not taken seriously by institutions, and the victim is questioned while the brutality of the bully is minimized.
2- There is very little prevention and information on this subject, and what there is often takes the form of documentaries, using language that is specific to adults and does not resonate with young people.
3- A helping hand makes all the difference because it means you no longer feel alone. It could be a teacher who is attentive to what is going on and talks about it in class with the students, or a classmate who smiles at you and helps you smile back.
How can it be prevented?
By creating an animated film aimed at young people aged 7 to 15, which condemns bullying in schools in order to better prevent it.
This film will feature all the actors in order to raise awareness among each of them:
the BULLY, about the consequences of their actions. When talking to former bullies, they feel shame and regret about their actions after the fact.
WITNESSES who remained passive, showing them that not speaking out is tantamount to supporting the bully. We have collected testimonials from former witnesses, some more passive than others, who say they did not realize what was happening at the time, or felt powerless to do anything. Spontaneous support helps victims to get back on their feet and regain hope.
the VICTIM that they are not responsible, that they should not feel ashamed for what has happened to them, and that the first step to getting out of it is to talk about it.
Your support will help fund the production of the film.
Today, I would like to contribute by creating this ten-minute animated film, which will be distributed free of charge on the internet, in schools, and in cinemas.
How will it differ from what already exists on the subject?
1- It will show what a scene of harassment looks like.
Often, documentaries on the subject do not show scenes of bullying. Our animated film will show concretely what bullying consists of and what the consequences are for all those involved.
2- The animated film format is a style that appeals to young people, and the director herself is very young, so she is close to her audience.
Unlike television documentaries, which do not appeal to young people because they lack realism (faces are blurred, no scenes of bullying are actually shown) and young people do not watch television, the animated format directly reaches the target audience.
We therefore chose it to show them what goes on behind the scenes… that no, it’s not «cool» to make others laugh at someone else’s expense and that the consequences can be tragic.
3- It will be a helping hand to the adults who accompany young people.
In the classroom, it will be an opportunity for dialogue between students, initiated by the teacher with the support of the film. Screened in the first part of movie theaters, it will be a helping hand for family discussion.
4- It will show the side effects of bullying on all those involved.
After a few years, the shame shifts to the other side, and it is the harassers who suffer. Those who have been harassed live with the aftermath of the trauma on a daily basis.
By supporting this project, you will help raise awareness of what victims of harassment actually go through and the future consequences for all those involved. Indeed, the shame felt by harassers years later makes them, in their own eyes, bad people.
Making an animated film is a long process; it takes one month of work for every minute of film.
If you allow me the time to make this film, I will devote myself body and soul to ensuring that it achieves its goal:
To be available to everyone and help raise awareness so that no young person ever again wants to die because of persecution.