Anyone who has been bullied knows how difficult it is to share the story of pain, humiliation and confusion.

Whether it happens on the playground, in the workplace or in cyberspace, there is no ignoring that communities need to speak up on an issue that often leaves victims devastated.

Beating the Bully, a new documentary of the In Focus series by Rogers TV producer Steve McEown, draws on the strengths of experts, the bystander, the bullied, and even bullies themselves to offer hope to those being targeted.

A screening at the MacLaren Art Centre last week previewed the program that debuted Sept. 7 and repeats several times over the coming months.

Recommended for family viewing, it airs again on Mondays at 10:30 a.m., Tuesdays at 1 p.m., Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Fridays at 1 p.m.

McEwon said it was a difficult subject to tackle. To make a large enough to create awareness, he needed the candour of real people in the community.

Some are shown in shadow, their faces obscured because they still live in fear. Others speak openly on camera, like 17-year-old Lee Martin who, from the age of 12, couldn’t understand why she was being picked on.

She admitted that suicide crossed her mind to the point where she was hospitalized.

Martin, who was honoured as the Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year by The Ontario Community Newspaper Association, was presented with the award by Barrie Advance publisher Joe Anderson last May.

Martin said once she spoke up, the bullying stopped.

Applauding the film at its screening were local psychologists, Dr. Ken Marek and Dr. Jonathan Douglas, who recommend making initial contact with a family physician for guidance. Angela Monaghan, founder of Bully Busters, and Chris Hinkle of Firm Foundations, both said speaking up is essential to getting the bullying to stop.

Whether the bullying takes on an emotional or physical form, many caring parents feel powerless to help their children take charge of the situation. Other parents may go into denial when confronted with the suggestion that their child may be a perpetrator of bully behaviour.

In the workplace, silence becomes a method of survival but it comes with heavy emotional costs.

That’s why it takes the effort of family, friends and a heightened role of community to create awareness, and to bring the solutions to the forefront. Watching Beating the Bully is a good start to opening the lines of communication that can surely lead the way to a greater sense of empowerment.

Beating the Bully is broadcast throughout Simcoe County on Rogers TV (cable Channel 10).

Rogers TV produces more than 15,000 hours of original and informative programming each year, reaching 2.2 million customers in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

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