Some Buffalo students are learning how to fight bullying in their schools, YNN’s Nicki Mayo reports New York’s Dignity for All Students law inspired the a day-long conference on anti-bullying.

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“They are pushing me away. Calling me names. Making me feel low with low self esteem,” said Capone.

“What’s a stereotype?” Merritt S. M. Weisenburger asked a room of 50 citywide students.

Weisenburger works with the National Federation on for Just Communities of WNY to raise awareness of intolerance, prejudice and injustice. Labels like geek, loser and nerd are just a few of the stereotypes tackled at the Buffalo anti-bullying conference Friday at D’Youville College.

“Everybody’s the same, and you shouldn’t treat anybody different just because they look different,” said South Park High School junior Samantha Ford.

Two hundred students from the School Ambassadors and Leaders of Tomorrow program participated in the daylong symposium dedicated to curbing bullying around the Queen City.

“When you treat somebody unfairly based on how they look; where they come from; without actually knowing them. That’s being a bully,” said Weisenburger.

“They get into your head, and once they’ve captured that they take control,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Vanita Evans. The Buffalo Community Outreach Specialist led a workshop focusing on the dangers of cyberbullying from emails, texts and social networking websites. She told students electronic communication is hard to delete.

“Anything that has a memory can be retrieved,” said Evans.

“You’re checking your Facebook and they’re checking their Facebook. You may have forgot about it, but they’ll go and post stuff on your status,” said Tapestry Charter High School junior Antonio Mills.

“They know they hurt. They know they can be anonymous through a cell phone, through Facebook. And they know they can taunt people,” said Evans. “They think it’s in fun and humor. We have to remember we’re talking adolescent years, developmental and coping skills. Our young people are at different levels and we’re talking about self esteem,” added Evans.

The anti-bullying conference also taught 150 adults how to legally fight bullying.

“The commission decided to do this in response to the Dignity for All law that makes access to education free from bullying and violence while protecting civil rights for students,” said Commission on Citizens’ Rights and Community Relations’ Crystal J. Rodriguez Lane.

Rodriguez Lane said her office is calling on area youths to help design a new anti-bullying campaign and slogan. The contest winner will have his/her work displayed on Niagara Frontier transportation Authority buses and shelters around the Queen City. The contest ends February 28.

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