Stamp out bullying
Anti Bullying Week
12-16 November 2018
Anti Bullying Week make sure you get involved – whether you organise a workshop, stage a show or host a mini conference, it will all help and raise awareness of a great cause.
The theme for Anti Bullying Week 2018 is ‘Choose Respect’. Previous years have centred around themes such as ‘Cyberbullying’ and ‘Being Different – Belonging Together’. All themes deal with the serious issue of bullying in any form. Anti Bullying Month also takes place from 5-30 November 2018 with the theme ‘The Science of Bullying’. So there certainly is a lot happening!
Verbal bullying can be just as damaging, if not more damaging than physical bullying. Why? Because it really attacks us mentally. Name-calling, constant teasing, abusive comments that attack a persons race or sometimes weight can have a long-term impact.
I remember as a child seeing incidences where someone would start bullying kids in my class. Sometimes the bully was just deemed to be ‘playing rough’ or described as being ‘just a child’ but now bullying is taken more seriously.
On the campaign website you can book your place to attend anti-bullying workshops, roadshows, download anti-bullying posters or send away for an anti-bullying resource pack.
The activities of Anti Bullying Week can be supplementary to activities already going on in schools. The main thing is to ensure that the principles discussed during the week continue throughout the rest of the year and beyond. More importantly, get kids involved in creating their own events. Parents and teachers can help young people create an anti-bullying website, stage an anti-bullying festival or even upload an anti-bullying video to YouTube.
Even better, get the students involved in the school anti-bullying policy to ensure that they have a say in how to prevent and tackle the bullying effects which can last long after the event.
One of the biggest reasons bullying isn’t tackled is because victims are too scared to speak up. Bullying is a serious issue that should be challenged and the more it is, the better chance we have at beating it!