One of the hardest things to do to a bully is to confront them. Harder still is to do it without making the problem worse.
Which makes Jake's action here all the more extraordinary. Jake, a youngster with autism, stood up to the bullies in his class, speaking out during an exercise in the school gym. The courageous act was filmed as part of The Bully Project, a social action campaign to stop bullying.
"Um," he says with a wince, collecting himself. "I ... don't think you guys see me for me. I think you guys see me as a big target. You guys are always leaving me out of stuff ... never paying attention to me or anything I say."
"I want to try to be your friend, but you don't try to be mine," he continues, "and that really makes me feel ... bad."
Since the filming of that video, Jake tells Upworthy he's doing much better:
Bullying has had a big impact on my life, but since the movie I’ve made a lot of friends ... For other kids with autism, if you're getting bullied, try and tell them to stop and not give a reaction -- if that doesn’t work, go to an adult. It might seem hard 'cause we can’t handle stress as well as other kids, but you will get through it and you’ll be awesome -- actually you already are!
Watch Jake stand up for himself, above.
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