St0P RaC!Sm!!

Racism - What You Can Do To Stop It



Life is hard enough without having to put up with racist attitudes towards you or your friends. But there is stuff that you can do to make a difference. ChildLine has produced a quick guide to help you and your mates.


1. Don’t Take The Abuse

You don't have to accept any form of racist hassle. Everyone, no matter what their nationality or race, has a right to live happily and free from discrimination.


2. Realise That You're Not The One With The Problem


It can be hard because your self-esteem does sometimes take a knock if you're having grief from someone, but the thing you have to remember is that you are not the one to have caused the problem. You’ve done nothing wrong.


3. Tell Someone What's Happening To You


If the problem is in your school, you should approach a member of staff that deals with this type of incident or if you are not sure who to go to - talk to a member of staff who you can trust and tell him/her about what has been going on. You should also tell family and friends about this so that you can also get their help and support. Other parts of your life will suffer if you keep silent. Speak up now before the problem takes over.


4. Keep Some Evidence Of What's Happening


You should write down what's been happening, like a diary of events, for example, and also your thoughts on what you would like to happen. This will be useful to show others that you need help and to what extent it’s affecting you.


Then take action. You can do it!


5. Be Prepared To Speak Out


Be prepared to speak out and tell people just how it’s affecting your life and your well-being. If you are going to alert someone to the fact that you're being threatened, abused or bullied, then do it properly.


6. Keep Safe & Aware


You can't spend your life looking over your shoulder, but it pays to be aware of dangers. Stick with groups of friends if you feel vulnerable.


7. Never Give Up!


You might not be able to tackle racism by yourself. Seek out support and accept help where you can.


Remember racism just isn't cool and no one should have to put up with it.


8. Get Others Involved To Help You


Get other people involved in tackling the problem. If it’s happening to you or your friends then it will be happening to other people too. Perhaps you could start an anti-racism project or newsletter at your school or youth group and invite an anti-racist speaker along. Or set up a discussion group to talk about relevant issues and see what you can do to help in your area.


What is important to know is what YOU can do to challenge racist behaviour/incidents. Racism has a very bad effect on your self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth; if you suffer in silence you can feel isolated, depressed and helpless as well as it affecting your mental and general well-being.


It can be difficult to ask for help but you must do this and by taking action you are saying that you will not accept this kind of treatment from anyone and you can begin to feel empowered and confident again.


Everyone has a responsibility to challenge racism, so even if you have never been the target of abuse or hurtful language, you should speak out against it.