Not “just playing”
Have you ever experienced bullying or been the bully? Most of the time we excuse it as “only teasing” or “just playing”.
What is bullying? Though there is no legal definition, bullying is repeating the same actions with the intention to hurt someone physically or emotionally.
This means that bullying can happen to anyone, anywhere. Not just at school but in the work place too, or at home. There’s no defining characteristic of who will most likely be bullied. It can happen to the most confident of people or just catch us off guard.
What to look out for
What can bullying look like? It can take many forms, some to look out for are:
- physical assault
- teasing or taunting
- making threats
- name calling
- trolling online or cyberbullying.
Did you know…
- Before the age of 18, 45 percent of young people have experienced some sort of bullying.
- Over 16,000 children reject going to school because of bullying
- Seven out of every ten people aged 13-22 have experienced cyberbullying.
One kind word
The Anti-Bullying Alliance has made the theme for this year’s anti-bullying week “One Kind Word”.
Kindness is more important today than it has ever been. The isolation of the last year has underlined how little acts of consideration can break down barriers and brighten the lives of the people around us. This is one of the reasons that ‘One Kind Word’ has been chosen as the theme of Anti-Bullying Week taking place from 15 to 19 of November 2021.
Sometimes we are unaware that someone is being bullied or that we are being bullied ourselves. What we do feel is pain, either mentally or physically and we may struggle to share it openly. During Anti-Bullying Week we at Mind Of My Own are focusing on sharing One Kind Word. This can simply be a compliment or asking someone how they are doing. By joining and sticking together, it means there is one less bully and one less person being bullied.
We challenge you to make someone smile, share something kind and positive, or you can write down each day one thing that has made you happy. If you are a One app user then you can complete “Share My Good News” each day or you can note it down on a piece of paper.
Speak up!
If you are being bullied, or if you see someone being bullied, be sure to speak up and tell someone. You don’t need to feel alone In a world where you can be anything, #BeKind and that way you will spread kindness.
We have some superb resources and activities to share with you, so keep a look out here: @mindofmyownapps or email us at hello@mindofmyown.org.uk
Where to get more help
Contact Childline 0800 1111
