ACTIONS, ACCOUNTABILITY, RESILIENCE

“Sticks and stones…”

We all learned the phrase when we were younger and were taught, to some extent, that words are not as powerful as they can be. It was at a time that we, as a society, pretended words couldn’t cause harm, that they weren’t daggers that could change someone’s life entirely. Even now, with society taking bullying more seriously, the power of words seems to be underestimated.

“You’re fat.” “You’re stupid.” “Stop being so sensitive.” Step into the lives of a teen in middle school or high school and it’s likely you’ll be bombarded with these words, which can cause fear and hurt. The scars may not be visible, like the ones caused by physical violence, but, in some ways, they’re even more impactful, especially for today’s youth. From the teen who develops an eating disorder to the teen who takes