Anti-Bullying Week 2011: Stop and Think - Words can Hurt

Stop and Think – Words can Hurt

This year’s national campaign aims to tackle name-calling and verbal bullying.

As well as being the most common form of bullying, if verbal bullying and name calling go unchallenged they can be the start of more serious bullying.

The campaign this year therefore aims to; challenge verbal bullying in schools and communities, raise awareness of the impact of derogatory language, give adults and young people strategies to tackle the problem and encourage positive comments and compliments.

How can you get involved?

• Enter our competition (kindly sponsored by the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board) to design a poster to promote this year’s campaign and the theme “Stop and Think – Words can Hurt”. Prizes of £30 High Street gift vouchers to be won by winners in 3 age categories
• The competition also has a group entry to report on your campaign for Anti-Bullying Week this year. You could win £100 for your school or club to spend on an Anti-Bullying project.
• Visit the Anti-Bullying Alliance website to find out more about the campaign
• Think about your behaviour on the internet or on your phone. Do you every join in with nasty comments which are “just for a laugh” but not so funny when they happen to you? When you are with a group of people do you ever pretend not to hear when people are name-calling or being nasty? Do you every say nasty things yourself? 
• Visit the Anti-Bullying section on this website to find out more about what to do about bullying
• How could you promote positive language and compliments at your school or club or with your friends? Why not try it this week to support the campaign

The Oxfordshire cybersurvey (2010) showed that 49% of 10 – 18 year olds had received an abusive message on-line and 28% had done so on their mobile phones 

31% of young people aged 14 have experienced verbal bullying (higher than any other form of bullying)

56% of all calls to Childline relating to bullying mentioned name-calling and teasing.

65% of young lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils in secondary schools experienced homophobic bullying. Of those who have been bullied, 92% experienced verbal homophobic bullying.   

If you want to say what you think about bullying or have any ideas about what to do about it please e-mail jo.brown@oxfordshire.gov.uk the Anti-Bullying Co-ordinator