Call for youngsters to help tackle bullying

Oct 2 2008 by Kevin Hughes, Wrexham Mail

CHILDREN and young people in Wrexham schools are being challenged to help tackle bullying during this year’s Anti-Bullying Week (November 17-21).

The Welsh Assembly Government has launched two competitions designed to encourage pupils to work together with teachers, parents and friends to highlight the issue of bullying.

Pupils in primary schools are being asked to write a short poem about bullying while comprehensive school pupils are asked to develop a script for a spoof news bulletin with bullying as the main topic.

The news bulletin is designed to encourage young people to think about a world in which bullying isn’t a problem or where the natural order is turned on its head so it is those who may be considered a bully becoming the bullied.

Both competitions are designed to help pupils think about the consequences of bullying and to address and talk about bullying rather than ignore it.

The competition winners will be announced during Anti-Bullying Week 2008 and the successful spoof news bulletin will be filmed and featured in the Welsh broadcast media. The winners of the poetry competition will receive £1,000 for their school.

Minister for Education, Jane Hutt, said: “By using Anti-Bullying Week to highlight the problem, we are aiming to encourage schools, pupils, teachers and parents to work together to stamp it out for good in their school.

“Many children and young people in Wales suffer as a result of bullying in school each year and the Welsh Assembly Government is committed to tackling the issue.

“We hope these two competitions will help children and young people develop a greater understanding and awareness of the issue and generate discussions within the classroom environment.”

The competitions are open to all pupils in primary and secondary schools in Wales.

More information and entry packs can be found at www.wales.gov.uk/respectingothers and the deadline for entries is October 10.