March 29, 2024

High school tackles bullying head on as part of the …

0

High school tackles bullying head on as part of the …

School pupils are demanding their peers #respect me as they take part in Anti Bullying Week 2020.

Gryffe High School pupils have been attending workshops that address bullying behaviour as part of Scotland’s anti-bullying service respectme’s #WhatMadeItBetter? campaign.

The school pupils were given an opportunity to hear from people who have been a victim of bullying, with the workshops also equipping youngsters with the knowledge to identify bullying and the skills to know how to deal with it should they or someone they know be targeted by bullies.

Anti-bullying week, which began on Monday and ends today, was launched after almost half of young people said they have seen or experienced online bullying during lockdown.

A further 59 per cent of those surveyed witnessed an increase in prejudice-based posts, comments and attitudes on social

media.

Teachers at Gryffe High, in Houston, were also given a host of resources to help approach and guide conversations about bullying through the campaign and were also given advice on how best to support students who have been bullied themselves.



a person standing in front of a store: Carla Dinnie talks about bullying with her peers at Gryffe High School


© paisley
Carla Dinnie talks about bullying with her peers at Gryffe High School

Wendy Harrington, director of respectme, said: “Young people are heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, with every aspect of their lives – from school to home to social activities – affected in some way.

“There’s a wealth of evidence highlighting a rise in bullying behaviour since lockdown, particularly in an online setting, which has no time boundary and is difficult to monitor and

supervise.

“This makes Anti-Bullying Week and the campaign all the more poignant as we seek to start the conversation and share valuable advice.

“The #WhatMadeItBetter? resources are free for anyone to explore, and we’d urge adults who have experienced bullying to get involved and help us shape future resources by taking our online survey which looks at what more can be done to support young people.”

Supporting the call is Education Secretary John Swinney, who said: “Anti-Bullying Week is an ideal opportunity to send a clear message that bullying of any kind is completely unacceptable and when it occurs we all have a responsibility to address it.

“We want all children and young people to be able to speak to someone they trust when bullying happens and that is why campaigns like this are so important.”

While #WhatMadeItBetter? campaign has been launched as part of Anti-Bullying Week, it will run across the school year until July next year to continuously highlight the options available to young people and remind them that things can and will get better.

Stay up to date with the campaign and Anti-Bullying Week activities by following respect me on Facebook and Twitter.

Published at Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:56:00 +0000

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *