Bash Out Bullying

Hello Bashers! I am so sorry that I haven't posted, but school has started! This is my senior year of high school and it is already filled with so many things to do. I have so many Bash Out Bullying presentations, football games to cheer at, student council meetings, peer ministry meetings, and many other things. I will try to blog as frequently as possible, and will looking for people to join the BOB team and help out! If you are interested or know someone who may want to contribute some stories to my blog please let me know! With that being said, I hope everyone is having an awesome school year so far!  Stay Strong & Stay Positive, Courtney Jay 💜

Hello Bashers! I had the opportunity to attend the YWCA Future Leaders Program and had an amazing time! I met 13 other beautiful young women leaders as well as met so many positive women in the YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) community! We had several team building experiences and my personal favorite was rock climbing at Upper Limits! We had to do many group challenges which involved trust and problem-solving. Everyday we had the chance to speak with powerful women all over the St.Louis community and I learned so much! I am so grateful for the connections I made at the program with not only influential women, but the young women in the program  next to me! The last day we had to explain what our favorite part of program was, I chose the relationships I built with the girls. I read this poem to everyone: Wherever life takes me Whatever hills I may climb Or tumble down: Whatever joy I feel Or whatever makes me frown:  I'm so glad I met friends like you to alon...

Good Morning Bashers! It has been two long blog-less weeks so I hope you are all ready! I am very excited to tell you all about my trip in New York that will be broken up into a few blogs! Day 1: So for those of you who don't know, I was picked for the ANNpower Vital Voices Leadership Forum in New York! I had never been to NY so I couldn't wait! I woke up on Tuesday morning ready to embark on my new adventure. My mom drove me to the airport and I waited about an hour before boarding my flight to Newark! Once I arrived in Newark I had a bit of a challenge finding my bags, but with a little help everything was okay! I then met about 10 ANNpower fellows as we boarded a truck to our hotel, Intercontinental Times Square! After about an hour drive (due to traffic) we arrived at out hotel to meet the other ANNpower fellows! I initially found my roommate named Leigh from Louisiana! Once all 50 of us were situated into the hotel we were told it was time to go to the ANN Inc. offic...

Hello Bashers!  I wanted to let you all know that I am always here  if you need to talk! Part of my mission is to provide tips and suggestions on how to deal with bullying! If you are being bullied, are a bully, a parent, or anyone who feels like they are involved in bullying you can contact me. You can email me at bashoutbullying@gmail.com or send me a direct message on any social media site! I will keep everything you tell me confidential unless you tell me otherwise. I am ALWAYS here to give advice on anything and everything I know about bullying.  Stay Strong & Stay Positive, Courtney Jay 💜

Hello Bashers! I am very eager about this weeks blog topic and hope you all enjoy! I am sure you have heard of the book, The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake. I have read that book so many times and it is truly empowering. I say that to say how much it contributed to my confidence and to tell you all a story about a teen in Pennsylvania. Tayja Jones-Banks is a junior and decided to go to prom this year! She said she felt amazing and posted pictures after she left the prom that night. The next morning her pictures were all over the internet and not in a positive way. People commenting on her prom outfit saying she looked "fat" and "shouldn't have been wearing that." Tayja was hurt because she felt so confident the day before. She then updated her status and said she wish she had never gone to prom or posted any pictures. This situation hurts my heart because I can relate to that feeling of humiliation. My heart truly goes out to Tayja and her family! I actu...

Hello Bashers! This weeks blog is something very close to my heart and I wanted to talk to you all about it. This is a serious issue and incidents like this are unfortunately are becoming more common. I am not sure if you all have heard the story, but on April 21st, 16 year old, Amy Joyner was  to death and many stories are reporting it is over a boy. The fight broke out in the school bathroom and she was jumped by two girls. The fight was recorded by several students and put on social media. Amy was rushed to the DuPont Hospital in critical condition, but was sadly pronounced dead on the way. This situation really hit home with me because she is my age. Everyone who knew her described her as nice and kind. The details are still very unclear and the girls were suspended from school. Someone died as a result of this fight and they were only suspended? The two girls who allegedly who beat Amy to death are being interviewed. My mom and I were devastated when we heard about this st...

Today's blog is something I actually spoke with some students at school about today and felt the need to tell all of you! Happy reading! The LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) teen community is always growing, but are we growing with it? By that I mean are we opening our minds to realize everyone is different and we should be making everyone feel included. I attend a parochial school so we NEVER even bring up the discussion of the LGBTQ community. On the other hand you all know me and know that I strongly believe in everyone expressing themselves as best as they can so I joined TASH (Teen Advocates For Sexual Health). TASH is a club at Planned Parenthood that teaches high school students from all over St.Louis about understanding healthy sexuality based on teen rights and responsibilities. At TASH I meet so many people, some being in the LGBTQ teen community. It is very interesting to hear their side, the mean things other teens say or looks they give. Teens of th...