CEO May update, by Matt Garvey
While headlines and political discourse continue to create debate around LGBTQ+ community issues, at the coal face demand for our anti-bullying workshops continues to grow. It’s never possible to know if this is because of greater instances of bullying or schools’ increased desire to prevent it in the first place but I’d like to believe the latter.
In my blog I’d like to highlight the importance of individual intervention in bullying. We know that many victims of bullying suffer in silence even when others know it is going on. In schools, as part of our ‘Upstander NOT Bystander’ lesson, we build confidence among pupils to intervene when they see bullying; most notably by telling an adult. An adult could be a teacher, someone serving food in the canteen, a playground supervisor or a parent - anyone with the agency to take that concern and do something constructive with it.
Schools who are alerted to bullying concerns have increasingly effective and sensitive ways of intervening. This means greater and faster support for victims potentially limiting the lifelong damaging impact of prolonged bullying.
The same applies in the workplace where forms of bullying continue. If you see a colleague in trouble, perhaps from peers or a boss, then reach out. This could be to a union rep, HR professional or someone trusted and more senior. Being bullied is a lonely and frightening existence. If you see someone in trouble, by being an Upstander NOT Bystander you might be the lifeline they need.
To find out more about our school workshops and to book a session, click here
