School Bullying Leading To Son's Suicide, Author & Speaker — Kirk Smalley

Kirk Smalley is on a mission to end bullying after losing his 11 year old son, Ty, to suicide on May 13, 2010. Kirk has appeared on numerous media outlets including CNN, Today Show etc, and was invited to The White House, by President Obama, to discuss school bullying. Kirk has spoken throughout the world in over 18 countries, on initiatives to end school bullying. Additionally, Kirk’s advocacy has led him to the Oklahoma State capital. He is currently working with the Oklahoma legislature to enact anti-bullying legislation. Episode Highlights // + Bullying in the social media era versus old school bullying + How the impact of being bullied as a kid can last an entire lifetime + What causes kids and adults to bully others in the first place? + The epidemic of bullying that exists in the native american culture + Speaking at over 1600 schools and 1.5 million children + Hearing kids come up to him after he speaks, saying they were going to take their life, but hearing him speak made them not want to go through with it + The importance of remembering if you are being bullied, that school is not a forever thing! + 1 in 4 children have had a plan to commit suicide + My harsh experiences with bullying, when switching schools growing up + Humanity going off course by a couple degrees and this adding up to a big distance. + The bully who targeted Kirk's son, not having any remorse