Brave Kid Stands Up to Bullies

Jake has autism and has long been bullied by his peers.

A few years ago, as part of The Bully Project, an anti-bullying social campaign, Jake stood up in front his classmates — bullies included — to "do one of the bravest, most honourable things" and speak out against the bullying.

"I don't think you guys see me for me. I think you guys see me as a big target. You guys are always leaving me out of stuff, never paying attention to me or anything I say," he tells his fellow students.

"I just want you guys to see me for me."

He even bravely calls out the boys in the gym laughing during his speech.

"I see you guys laughing over there."

This week, a video of his brave speech is going viral.

Jake, now a junior in high school, recently updated on how his school life has improved since collaborating with The Bully Project:

"Bullying has had a big impact on my life, but since the movie I’ve made a lot of friends. Recently, I have joined my high school football team! At first I thought they would all be complete jerks, but actually they are pretty cool guys and have helped me through a lot of situations — they stand up for me!

To other kids with autism, Jake offers some encouragement,

"For other kids with autism, if you're getting bullied, try and tell them to stop and not give a reaction — if that doesn’t work, go to an adult. It might seem hard because we can’t handle stress as well as other kids, but you will get through it and you’ll be awesome — actually you already are!"

And to the bullies, he warns,

"Bullying does not make you cool — you might think you are on the top of the food chain — but you’re not going to be there forever."

Last spring, a similar video, excerpted from the documentary Bully, went viral. Eleven-year-old Caine Smith bravely shared his story of being bullied with filmmakers — and his school board.

"I can't change who I am," Caine said.

When asked what he'd tell other bullied kids, he responded:

"Speak out and rise up…and help each other out to get rid of bullying."

B.C. poet Shane Koyczan's anti-bullying poem "To This Day" went viral last winter.

These stories seem to always strike a chord online, yet bullying remains a very real problem. How do you talk to your kids about bullying?