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- Ann Brownell, founder of the Amanda Network, speaks at an anti-bullying campaign at SJCC on April 19. The organization was founded by Brownell in honor of her daughter, Amanda, who attempted suicide after being bullied.
Amanda Brownell is a teenage girl who tried to kill herself in a Del Mar High School’s bathroom in Dec. 11, 2008, to end years of being bullied by her schoolmates.
She was found alive but suffered a trauma that makes her unable to walk, talk and eat by herself.
After the incident with Amanda, her mother, Ann Brownell, started the Amanda Network.
No seats were left in the auditorium room at San Jose City College on Thursday, April 19. It was the first time Brownell brought the Amanda Network to SJCC. The goal of the network is to inform the community about bullying and its consequences.
Brownell shared how Amanda’s personality had changed when the bullying started and how her reactions affected her and other people.
The main problem she said was that Amanda did not tell people around her and no one took her problem seriously.
“When it comes to my daughter trying to tell me what was happening with her, she didn’t tell me,” Brownell said.
She said people who are bullied should talk to someone they trust and love, such as their families, friends or teachers. Also, parents and friends should openly talk to them and be supportive.
“Everybody is a bully, and everybody gets bullied,” Brownell said. She said the more people get involved and informed the more people are aware of what actually happens to their children and people around them.
“We need more support from people to take it out and to be more aware that bullying is real bad thing,” said Karina Lopez, 23, X-ray technician.
Brownell has been sharing Amanda’s story in many schools and communities inside and outside San Jose and California. In December 2011, Brownell was awarded the Woman of Worth award from L’Oreal Paris for her volunteering effort for the Amanda Network.
“One of the main reasons why we created the Amanda network is to be open and honest and to talk about suicide, bullying and self-harm,” said Brownell.
The goal of the network is to encourage people to stand against all forms of bullying and promote the new policy changes to the Education Code and State and Federal Laws on bullying.
According to the website http://bullypolice.org, California has the highest rate of bullying in America.
From a study in 2011 by Christine MacDonald and her colleagues, Educational and School Psychology at Indiana State University, 15 percent of students at college reported being bullied, and nearly 22 percent reported being cyber-bullied.
Merylee Shelton, the founder of the Community Arts and Lectures Program, said bullying at City College is more particularly about weight, disabilities, race and especially athletic status.
Shelton said, “Students do have to make sure that they speak out when they know something is wrong because silence indicates consent.”
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