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This year, Anti-Bullying Week will take place from Monday 14th – Friday 18th November with the theme ‘Reach Out’.
‘Bullying is the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. It can happen face to face or online’: Anti-Bullying Alliance.
Notice words such as ‘repetitive’ and ‘intentional’. It is important to deal with anything that makes us feel angry, sad or hurts us, but note that bullying is not just a one-off incident. It is something that continues to happen over time. Experiencing bullying can affect a person’s mental health and wellbeing in many ways. People who experience bullying can feel lonely, isolated, angry, sad and sometimes depressed. This can have a knock-on effect in all aspects of someone’s life such as school, home life and friendships. Tragically, it can even lead to self-harm or someone taking their own life.
Bullying is a serious issue and is something that everyone can play a part in preventing as well as supporting those who experience it.
This year, the theme is ‘Reach Out’. What do you think this theme means and why do you think it has been chosen? Watch the video below to find out more.
‘Reach Out’ is a theme that can mean different things. It can mean reaching out to someone who is experiencing bullying to offer them help and support. Or it can mean reaching out if you are experiencing bullying yourself. You should never suffer alone, always seek help. Sometimes just sharing a problem can be the start to things getting better.
There is always somewhere to get help. You can reach out to trusted adults such as family members, carers or teachers. You can also reach out to friends that you trust. Sometimes, it can be helpful to reach out to someone who does not know you personally. You can find a list of helplines and websites at the bottom of this email.
If you are experiencing online bullying, report the persons account and inform a trusted adult. Although you should not be pressured off social media due to bullying, it is important to have time away from your screen to protect your mental health and wellbeing, especially if it is affecting you negatively.
If you see someone who is being bullied or know it is happening to someone, you can help and support them in a range of ways.
Helplines
Websites
The websites below have lots of information and advice for anyone who has experienced bullying.
