Anti-Bullying Week 2012
Anti-Bullying Week this year will run from the 19th to 23rd November 2012 with the theme 'We're better without bullying'. As we all know, cyberbullying is the number one internet risk that children worry about and it is important that children and young people know how to deal with it.
Through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, the Government is working closely with social networking sites and other internet companies on creating a safer online environment for young people.
Children’s charities such as Beatbullying and Childnet - who are active UKCCIS members - offer expert advice on cyberbullying to help young people protect themselves and prevent others from being bullied online.
Beatbullying, for example, provides the CyberMentors (www.cybermentors.org.uk), a nationwide online peer-mentoring social networking site, allowing young people to mentor each other and stamp out cyberbullying.
And children’s charity Childnet has created the Digizen website (www.digizen.org) where children can see the Let's Fight it Together film and learn about the harm that bullying can cause.
New for this year is an initiative from Facebook and Childline who have jointly launched a new anti-bullying initiative called Step up: Stop Bullying. The campaign asks everyone to show their support and spread the word against bullying by signing up on a new Facebook app.
Children and young people have more chance of achieving their full potential if they do not experience bullying. Bullying can lead to children missing school, failing exams, dropping out of sport, staying away from extra curricular activities and limiting their life choices. It is everyone’s responsibility to work together to help put a stop to it.
You can see more details about the week at the Anti-Bullying Alliance's website: www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/antibullyingweek.