Anti-Bullying Week takes place next month.
Schools and youth organisations across Northern Ireland will come together in the fight against bullying this November 16-20.
This year’s theme is ‘United Against Bullying’, which has been inspired by togetherness during the COVID-19 outbreak.
And despite new restrictions put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus, the week will still be jam-packed with online resources, activities, campaigns and more.
Anti-Bullying Week is coordinated by the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum (NIABF) and supported by Translink and Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI). NIABF is an interagency group hosted by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) and funded by the Department of Education.
Children and young people will be encouraged to join their classmates in celebrating their differences by embracing an Odd Socks Day to kick off the week on Monday 16 November.
A creative competition will urge children to tap into their imaginations and get artistic, while a host of school resources, a social media toolkit detailing ways to get involved, and much more will ensure the week sends a message loud and clear that bullying has no place in our society.
Deirdre McAliskey, Assistant Director at the National Children’s Bureau, hosts of the NIABF and organisers of Anti-Bullying Week, said by channelling power for good, through shared efforts and collective responsibility, we can reduce bullying together.
“We want children and young people to parents, carers, teachers and politicians to all play a role in uniting against bullying. This is everyone’s business, not just those directly affected,” she said.
And Gillian Cuthbert, Chair, Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum (NIABF), added: “United Against Bullying is a very apt theme for this year’s event and despite everything that’s going on around us, we feel it is more important than ever to be consistent with our efforts to erase bullying.
“This year’s Anti Bullying Week will feature a range of campaigns including Odd Socks Day. This will be a great initiative to allow children to embrace their differences and have discussions about being unique and how we all play a part in solving this puzzle. It’s also a simple campaign that doesn’t put pressure on families and children to spend on expensive fancy dress costumes or something new, just don two mismatched socks and think how our differences make us special.”
Translink has actively supported Anti-Bullying Week for the last 12 years and will once again support this year’s campaign by delivering key messages around the theme of respect in stations, on buses and on trains.
John Thompson, Translink Health and Safety Manager, said stations and services provide an excellent platform to deliver important anti-bullying messages and ensure people know support is out there if and when they need it.
“We’d like to thank everyone who supports Anti-Bullying Week helping it grow every year and we look forward to continuing to play our part in protecting the safety, health and wellbeing of young people, our employees and the wider public right across Northern Ireland especially at this time when safety is so important.
”Please remember when using Translink services to follow four simple but important steps: wear a face-covering, wash/sanitise your hands frequently, use touch-free ticket options and practice social distancing where possible,” he added.
Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI), which has a long association with NIABF and supported its activities over many years, has come on board this year as one of the sponsors of Anti-Bullying Week.
Helen McKenzie, Director, SBNI, said they have joined as official sponsors to help ensure that children and young people know they should enjoy both physical and emotional safety.
“We look forward to engaging creatively with children and young people in this year’s theme of ‘United Against Bullying,” she said.
Launching the event, Philip O’Neill, Principal at St John’s Primary School, Kingsisland, Co Tyrone, said it will reinforce the message that bullying is not acceptable.
“It’s a very important message to send out to our children and we look forward to taking part,” he added.
Anti-Bullying Week 2020 runs from 16 to 20 November. To download a free Anti-Bullying Week resource pack and find out more about the anti-bullying creative competition check out www.endbullying.org.uk or email info@niabf.org.uk .
Follow #AntiBullyingWeek and @niabf.