A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
We want our kids to grow up happy and successful, but putting happiness and success before caring is raising a generation of bullies. Admit it. You've watched and wondered: is my kid a bully? Not all the time. Not most of the time. But some of the time. The rough-handed grab, pushy attitude, resentful looks. [...]
We were sitting on the grass at the side of Knox Grammar School's main oval in 1987; it must have been in my final few weeks of school. The memory of an awkward moment saying uncomplimentary things about Mr Fotis the religion teacher, while he was sitting behind me popped back into my mind when I saw [...]
An article last week in the Sunday Telegraph attempted to shine a light on the number of student in NSW who are self-harming. According to the article, two students every week are self harming as a result of bullying or mental health issues. I’m of the opinion that this is grossly underestimating the real number. [...]
Imagine for a second that you arrive to pick you child up from football, netball, a music lesson or even school. Imagine as you get out of the car, all you can hear is the most abhorrent racial, homophobic, sexist or religious-based bullying. I’m assuming you wouldn’t be happy about this. I’m assuming you’d have [...]
Around this time each summer, many parents and children begin to get worried about returning to school and the potential for getting bullied again like last year. The summer offers a respite from school bullies, but does this break from bullying have to end because the summer ends? Schools today offer massive anti-bullying campaigns that [...]
Not every private school kid emerges as a Ja’mie, a Danny, nor any of the other bitches and bullies portrayed in these fictions. But these fictions tell a certain truth: there’s much more to education than what’s taught in the classroom. If public schools are values-neutral, as John Howard (who attended one) famously suggested, private [...]
Most of us science nerds vividly remember episodes of bullying that took place throughout our childhood, but a new study has found that the popular kids are victimized by bullies too. In fact, the study, published in the American Sociological Review, found that becoming more popular actually raises the risk of getting bullied. “Most people [...]
Last week I wrote of my personal experience of being bullied for years at school. The feedback I received through the comment section and social media, whilst supportive, indicated that bullying is so widespread. And not just in school, but in all areas of the community. The question is why? Why is bullying so prevalent? I [...]
I was bullied as a kid. That might be hard for you to imagine if you’ve met me in person. As a former representative footy player who stands around 191cm and over 110kg, I don’t come across as your typical ‘victim.’ But I used to dread going to school on a daily basis. Each day [...]
It is a website renowned for vicious and offensive postings with guaranteed anonymity, and yet teenagers are flocking to Ask.fm. Welcome to the new ground zero of cyberbullying for high school students. "Nothing surpasses Ask.fm at the moment for nastiness among students. Nothing," cyber safety expert Susan McLean said. - Cosima Marriner via Seeking answers on [...]
