United Against Bullying

At Reclaiming Futures, we are proud to join our colleagues across the country in supporting bullied students and uniting against bullying. 
Research shows a link between bullying and substance abuse -- both with the aggressor and the vicitm. According to an Ohio State study, “Youth involved in bullying were more likely than students not involved in bullying to use substances, with bully-victims reporting the greatest levels of substance use.” And 4 out of 5 youth arrests either involve substance abuse, are committed while under the influence, or the kid later admits to having a substance abuse problem.
Bullied kids are also more likely to skip school in order to avoid bullies, which interrupts their education and affects their future. 
So today we are wearing orange to call attention to the bullying epidemic and to show our support to students who have experienced bullying. Join us! We would love to hear about your anti-bullying efforts and see photos of you in your orange clothes. Share in the comments below, or connect with us on Twitter or Facebook.
(United against bullying in photo above: National Executive Director Susan Richardson with National Program Office staff Cheryl Reed, Jim Carlton, Cora Crary and LJ Hernandez.)

Liz Wu is a Digital Accounts Manager at Prichard Communications, where she oversees digital outreach for Reclaiming Futures and edits Reclaiming Futures Every Day. Before joining the Prichard team, Liz established the West Coast communications presence for the New America Foundation, where she managed all media relations, event planning and social media outreach for their 6 domestic policy programs. Liz received a B.A. in both Peace and Conflict Studies and German from the University of California at Berkeley. She tweets from @LizSF.