National Day of Action Against Bullying

Bullying No Way

Today is the National Day of Action against Bullying in Australia and many schools and workplaces across the country marked the day by wearing orange.

What is Bullying?

The official definition according to the Bullying, No Way website is:

Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that causes physical and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power over one or more persons. Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert).

Bullying of any form or for any reason can have long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.

The issue of bullying has hit the media in recent months quite strongly in Australia with our Prime Minister weighing in on the issue recently and telling Principals that they should be explicitly teaching bullying in an already over-crowded curriculum.

Anyway, how did we mark the occasion today at my school? We did this in a number of ways.

We encouraged students to wear orange to school and donate a gold coin ($1 or $2) for a recognised charity
Students were given 'Bullying No Way' wristbands to remind them of the significance
An assortment of learning materials and video's were used to engage students in discussion about bullying

Source

I took a lot of photos from the day, but due to privacy and keeping kids faces off the internet, I won't be posting any here.

Bullying impacts people from all walks of life in many different ways. Bullying can occur at school and in the workplace and is not acceptable. It can impact people's lives in many different ways and many people have taken their own lives as a result of severe bullying.

If you are being bullied, have the courage to speak up so something can be done about it.

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