U3 The Big Idea Blast: Facing Challenges

Background

Learning when to stand up for yourself and others is an important part of growing up.

Confronting injustice is sometimes the only way to right a wrong. It's not a skill that comes easily
to everybody. For many, it takes practice. Consider the case of Lisa Dixon-Wells. She was
bullied as a child and witnessed other kids being bullied, as well. She felt bad that she didn't do
enough to stick up for children she saw being picked on.

Now an adult, Dixon-Wells runs a bullying prevention program called Dare to Care that

teaches young people how to recognize and stand up to bullying and stop bullying others
themselves. "We often find that toward the end of the day, those kids who have been
identified as the bullies are actually going up and having heartfelt apologies," Dixon-Wells told
the Star Calgary newspaper. There's "a lot of relief that these kids are finally owning what
they’ve done and realizing the damage they’ve done and making those apologies."

Background

One of the greatest examples of standing up to injustice is that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Racial injustice led King and others to stand up for the rights of African Americans all over the
United States. Just before the beginning of the civil rights movement, people were ready for
change. Black people were treated as second-class citizens without the same rights as white
people. They weren’t allowed to use the same drinking fountains, go to the same schools, or
ride at the front of buses.

You don't have to be the leader of a great movement to inspire positive changes and

encourage other people to stand up to injustice. Everyday citizens can do it, too. When Rosa
Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of a bus in Alabama, she stood up for herself. But
she was not just standing up for herself—she was also standing up for the other black riders on
her bus. Rosa Parks fought for the rights of African Americans all over the nation.

When you see unfair things happening, whether on a small or large scale, it’s important to

know when it’s time to intervene. How do people decide when to stand up for others or
themselves?