Scared and alone.
That’s how Victoria Ryder felt the day she nearly ended her own life.
“I kind of felt relieved…like if I jumped, it would all end,” she said.
Just 14-years-old at the time, Ryder was constantly bullied by classmates who picked at her looks, intelligence and religion.
The harassment went beyond the school grounds, following Ryder everywhere. “I was already getting bullied on Facebook and hearing the ding, ding, one after another on your phone on your laptop,” she added.
One day while her family wasn’t home, the 16-year-old walked to a cliff in the Lethbridge coulees where she frequently went to be alone.
“I just kind of stood on the edge of the cliff just looking over, just thinking what if. I probably stood there for over an hour contemplating whether I should do this or not, leave and just be done with it.”
However, Ryder chose to not let her tormenters win.
“I thought why give them the satisfaction, why leave the people I love and hurt them, more than it would hurt me.”
Ryder stepped back from the cliff and sought help. It was through the Boys and Girls Club she was able to overcome the anxiety she felt from being bullied.
“Whatever’s going on in your personal life, in school, as soon as you walk through these doors, it’s not here,” said Byron Dent.
“The reason it succeeds is because the youths own the space. They feel like the Boys and Girls Club is their home away from home, and that’s what makes it a safe place.”
Ryder said she still experiences cyber bullying, but she has found a way to not let it take over her life.
“You just kind of got to let it go. It might still happen to you, but you just have to let it go, look past it and try to find something in your life that you can look forward to.”
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