Brooks Students Urged to Take 'Courageous Action' to Stop Bullying

Photo: Marisol Quevedo and Hannah Gavagan from “Free the Children” pause for a moment before urging Brooks Middle School 7th graders to help change the world by intervening when they see negative behaviors. Photo and article submitted by Valley View School District.

The bullying problem has reached such a critical point in this country that “everyone needs to take action” to make a difference. That’s what Marisol Quevedo of the “Free the Children” organization told Brooks Middle School 7th graders Tuesday.

“It starts with you,” she said. “Young people are doing things everywhere to stand up for justice. Courageous actions can change the world.”

Quevedo and fellow “Free the Children” presenter Hannah Gavagan visited Brooks as part of their “It Starts With You” speaking tour. In addition to an assembly Tuesday, the twosome led 25 Brooks students through a three-hour action planning session to determine the next course of action for the Bolingbrook middle school’s student body.

“People have a right to feel safe wherever they are, especially in school, Gavagan said, pointing out that one in three teens in the United States report being harassed at school, while one out of every two young people are experiencing some sort of cyberbullying right now.

“Our culture has changed. Today America is obsessed with power, violence and winning,” she told students. “We have a competitive nature in our day-to-day lives and people are rewarded for their negative behavior.”

Many people don’t seem to care, they said. The “bystander effect” is a very real thing.

“You all have the power to make a difference,” Quevedo said. “Don’t be bystanders. Think of ways to make your school and community a better and safer place.”

“It takes courage and leadership,” Gavagan added. “But it’s those small actions that can change the world.”

“By being yourself, that inspires others to be the way they want to be,” Quevedo concluded.

Free The Children, an international charity founded in 1995, works with hundreds of schools worldwide to help create a world where all young people are free to achieve their fullest potential. The “Starts With You” speaking tour was arranged in conjunction with Disney’s Club Penguin.