I was bullied in middle school (though not as bad as others) and stood by as other kids were bullied. When I saw other kids bullied, I just stood by because I

I was bullied in middle school (though not as bad as others) and stood by as other kids were bullied. When I saw other kids bullied, I just stood by because I was scared that I would be bullied more than I was already. I think in a lot of cases, most kids are bystander who are just afraid to do anything because of the fear of reprisal, the loss of status of associating themselves or defending someone who is less cool than them. They're also scared to stand out by being the only one to protest against the bullying This kind of program helps I think for a couple different reasons: 1. By imagining what they would do in situations when someone else is bullied and how they would intervene to reduce bullying, kids are more likely to defend the bullied when it happens. (see commitment and consistency by Cialdini) 2. Kids see other kids who say that will stop bullying in the future, they then feel more confident that if they speak up they will not be alone.