Carleton students rallied together Oct. 13 to condemn bullying and spread the word about the national YouTube campaign “It Gets Better.”

The event, inspired by a series of YouTube videos of the same name, was started by Dan Savage, an American journalist.

Savage posted a video in response to the recent suicides of gay teens in the United States, who had been bullied because of their sexuality.

“Carleton students, we have big mouths in a good way, so I want to see how loud we can make our voices go,” said third-year journalism student Rob Nettleton, who co-organized the event.

“I want this to hit from sea to shining sea,” he said.

Nettleton and fellow student organizer Melanie Rickert spent the afternoon filming students sending messages of hope to those who are struggling with bullying, to form a collective message of support from Carleton.

“We’re hoping to reach out to the people who are struggling with this, let them know there is a big world out there and it is pretty awesome once you get there,” said Rickert, a third-year anthropology student.

Students shared their own experiences about bullying and messages of encouragement.

One such student was Rameez Ahmed, a Carleton student who grew up in Pakistan who said he struggled with bullying throughout high school.

“When I was 12 or 13, I would have loved it if I knew that there is a world out there that is supportive,” Ahmed said.

Thompson Nguyen, a second-year architecture student, said he credits his friends and a motivation to do greater things in life for getting him through tough times.

Nguyen said he hopes his video will inspire teens who don’t have a lot of support, and give them hope for the future.

“Being young is really tough, but it’s worth the wait.”

Rickert said the campaign is important because anyone can relate to it, regardless of race, sexuality or gender.

Richard Coelho, a third-year journalism student, said he was inspired by the message behind the campaign.

Coelho said he was bullied throughout high school for being gay, despite being straight.

“I was bullied for being who I was,” said Coelho. “But things definitely got better.”

Nettleton said he hopes this event will let people know that it is OK to be who they are, and that bullying affects everyone, but it gets better.

“If you’re struggling with [bullying], seek resources on campus, talk to some friends, check out the ‘It Gets Better’ campaign,” said Nettleton. “You are not alone. There are people out there who love you.”