This week (11th-15th November) is Anti-Bullying Week 2024 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with Odd Socks Day held on Tuesday and World Kindness Day marked on Wednesday.
Organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), Anti-Bullying Week aims to highlight the issue of bullying and the theme for 2024 is: ‘Choose Respect.’
The ABA consulted with children and young people and their teachers on the theme for the 2024 campaign and found they wanted a theme “that empowered them to do something positive to counter the harm and hurt that bullying causes.”
To help with this, the ABA provides a range of free Anti-Bullying Week teaching resources for primary and secondary schools, as well as themed assemblies that focus on how we can actively choose respect and take steps to stop bullying. They also provide a free pack for parents and carers.
Throughout the week, they are raising awareness across social and traditional media platforms and within communities.
Anti-Bullying Week highlights long-term impact of bullying
The key call to action for the 2024 campaign is:
“From playgrounds to parliament, our homes to our phones, this Anti-Bullying Week let’s ‘Choose Respect’ and bring an end to bullying, which negatively impacts millions of young lives.”
In fact, figures suggest:
- 30% of children have been bullied in the last 12 months
- 17% have been bullied online
- 1 child in every classroom experiences bullying each day
The impact of this bullying can be severe, long-term and far-reaching, with studies showing that adults who were bullied as children are more likely to:
- Experience a range of mental health issues
- Earn less money
- Be unemployed
- Be obese
- Not be in a stable relationship
- Leave school with no qualifications
In fact, some research even suggests that the long-term impact of bullying can be worse than that of child abuse.
Anti-Bullying Week aims to empower children not to resort to bullying
The ABA therefore wants to empower children and young people to resolve not to resort to bullying, even when they may disagree with someone.
In what can seem an increasingly polarised society, and an online world where differences of opinion are magnified and nuance lost, this is an extremely timely and salient point. In fact, this Anti-Bullying Week, the ABA is taking care to remind adults that they should lead by example, both online and offline.
On their website, they offer this prompt:
“Imagine a world where respect and kindness thrives – it’s not just a dream, it’s in the choices we make. Join us this Anti-Bullying Week and commit to ‘Choose Respect.’ What will you choose?”
Last year, 80% of schools marked Anti-Bullying Week, meaning over 7.5 million children and young people were reached.
Odd Socks Day is highlight of Anti-Bullying Week
The week always includes Odd Socks Day, during which adults and children are encouraged to wear odd socks to celebrate the fact that we are all unique and different. It is designed to encourage children to respect each other’s individuality and be kind.
Anti-Bullying Week and Odd Socks Day are receiving celebrity support in the form of Andy Day, a CBBC and CBeebies star and patron of the ABA. His band, Andy and the Odd Socks’ have released a video for their song ‘Choose Respect’ to coincide with the campaign.
Young people, schools, organisations and individuals can get involved and help spread the anti-bullying message on social media using the hashtags #AntiBullyingWeek and #ChooseRespect.
World Kindness Day urges people to make a positive impact
Wednesday 13th November is also designated as World Kindness Day, a global initiative established in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement and dedicated to celebrating and encouraging acts of kindness.
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is urging people to make kindness the norm and provides a wide range of ideas to help people and organisations to spread kindness and make a positive impact at work, school, home or in the community.
Meanwhile, Save the Children highlights the importance of kindness in child development. They explain:
“Studies have found that acts of kindness are linked to increased feelings of well-being. Kindness has also been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood.”
The international charity provides some ideas for celebrating World Kindness Day and reiterates their own commitment to kindness.
Their simple message is:
“Kindness is a fundamental part of the human condition which bridges the divides of race, religion, politics, gender and location.”
Training to help support children and young people
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider. They deliver a wide range of high quality training courses to over 50,000 learners annually, working with thousands of organisations and businesses across all sectors.
Their diverse portfolio includes training in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, health and social care and other special focus topics.
They work with thousands of schools, colleges and universities as well as pre-schools, nurseries, childcare providers and children’s centres to provide specialist training for those who work with children and young people. Training available includes Safeguarding Children, Health and Safety and Risk Assessment among other topics.
They can also provide trainers to deliver Mental Health First Aid training, accredited and developed by Mental Health First Aid England. There are versions for schools and others who work with young people, which focus specifically on issues that children and young people living in the UK today may experience – such as cyber bullying, self-harm and eating disorders.
A trainer at FRT, says:
“Bullying – whether online or offline – can make a child’s life miserable and affect their health and welfare. It is vitally important that this issue is addressed in schools and that everyone involved takes decisive action to stop and prevent bullying.
“It’s also important that those working with children and young people have an understanding of mental health problems and how these can affect children suffering from bullying and abuse, and how they in turn can provide much-needed support.”
For more information on the training services that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.