What is a bully and how do you deal with them? That is the question being explored in this week's Junior Jury...
| Loneliness can make a bully. I think many bullies do it because they’ve got no one to make friends with. |
Julian Chalmers, eight, High Heaton
"A bully is someone who picks on people, pushes them around and hurts them. Bullies bully people because of the way they look, the colour of their skin and all of that stuff. You don't know who can be a bully and who can't. They come from all over the place.
"If I was being bullied, I would go to school for help. I think sometimes parents or guardians are responsible for stopping bullies. I also think another bully could sit down with a bully and talk to them, or someone really kind who tries to stop them being what they are."
Christie Newby, 10, Cowgate
"I think people bully because some of them went through a lot when they were younger and they want to take it out on somebody else. They do it to get their anger out of them. Bullies just sort of blend in with everybody else with a smile on their face but sometimes they just lash out and go mental.
"I think if I was bullied I could talk to teachers, parents, even police if I thought it was that bad. Somebody should sit down and talk to bullies about why they are doing it. Police or parents could sit down with them - parents to say 'Calm down' and police just to give them a fright and say 'Don't bully'.
Tracey Currie, 13, Scotswood
"A bully is someone who thinks they can boss people around. I think bullies think they are hard. That's why they do what they do. They pick on people who have got spots, people who are 'specky' and people who haven't got named clothes and that. Bullies come from any area, any school.
"It's only the person bullying that can stop it. If I was bullying someone and someone else came up to me and said: "You'd better leave them alone," I would say 'No' and just go and do it more. The person bullying is the one responsible for stopping it, although parents and police could sit down with bullies and talk to them."
Kirsten Caine, 11, Cowgate
"Bullies pick on younger people or those that are weaker than them and they come from bad areas, but I do think that everyone has got a bit of a bully in them. Loneliness can make a bully. I think many bullies bully because they've got no one to make friends with.
"I think the police are responsible for stopping bullying because they have a duty to do so in their work."
Robert Stephenson, 11, Fenham
"Bullies can come from anywhere. When everyone joins up in a gang, they just go and bully people. They pick on soft people. Bullies bully because they think it's funny. You can spot a bully in a crowd because of they way they look at you. They've got a frown on them.
"I would go to my teacher if I was being bullied, or my mam and dad. The police are responsible for stopping bullies and 'hard' people could sit down and talk to them."
Carly Storey, 12, Cowgate
"Bullies think they are hard and that's why they do what they do, but they pick on people that look soft. I think bullies get the way they are because of their parents. That's where they learn it from. Sometimes you can spot a bully in a crowd but not always. I think you can tell if someone is a bully because of the way they dress.
"I would go to my parents or a teacher if I was getting bullied. I think parents are responsible for stopping bullying."
Lindsay Marchant, 18, Cowgate
"Bullies bully because they're shallow or if they're getting bullied off someone else they bully. They pick on the types of people who don't stand up for themselves, that look weak. They come from all types of areas and middle class ones as well and you couldn't spot one in a crowd because they just look like a normal person.
"I think previous bullies who have got their come-uppance could sit down with someone who is bullying."
About the team
Interviews by Dean Bransby, 13, and Emma Dickman, 10. Junior Jury is a weekly column published in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
