What can students do?
Students are important in creating a safe and supportive school environment.
First of all, keep yourself safe. Each bullying situation is different. Responses need to be appropriate to the situation and it's not always appropriate for young people to act alone.
Then, consider that the messages you give out, even in little ways, can make a huge difference. Research has shown that the greatest influence on students' bystander behaviour is what they think their friends (i.e. you!) expect of them - not what their teacher or parents think.
You can help by some of the following:
- Make it clear to your friends that you won't be involved in bullying behaviour.
- Never stand by and watch or encourage bullying behaviour.
- Do not harass, tease or spread gossip about others.
- Respect everyone and value the differences between people.
- Be friendly towards others who are new to your school, who are left out or on their own.
If you see someone being bullied, keep safe and choose your response to match the situation:
- Speak up and let the person doing the bullying know what they are doing is bullying
- Refuse to join in with their bullying and walk away
- Support the student who is being bullied to ask for help
- Ask a teacher or support person for help. Reporting what happened can help 'unravel' a situation.
You can help by being active at school:
- Be a leader by telling adults that you want to "take a stand and lend a hand" to stop bullying
- Find out how bullying is handled at your school - how is bullying identified, reported and dealt with?
- If there isn't a policy on bullying in your school, get involved in developing one. If there is a policy already, find out what's happening and work together to make it effective
- Ask your teachers to start up conversations about the issues which underlie bullying and bystander behaviours
- Join, or start, a student or staff group that promotes non-violence at your school. For example, a school welcomers group, whose task it is to welcome new students into the school and show them around
- Ask for help to start up a campaign to reduce bullying
- Talk with adults outside of school who can help stop bullying everywhere
- Spread the word that bullying isn't cool!
For more ideas, check out...
Strategies map
The Strategies map summarises a wide range of evidence based approaches and strategies that cover the whole school community, and in and out of class; and the roles and contributions for staff, students and carers – for immediate and long term action.
Make a difference is part of the Chill out space designed just for young people. It includes ideas for helping yourself, helping your friends, getting active in the school, and addressing issues such as racism and homophobia.
Look guys, next time you see someone being bullied don't laugh along but try to help and back the person up because through laughing along about the victim you're just as bad as the person bullying them!!
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