The impact that bullying has on the lives of those that are victimized can be felt years after the bullying has ended. We all know the serious consequences suffered by the abused, driven home recently by the tragic death of “Dolly” Amy Jayne Everett who took her own life at 14 after being bullied.
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It’s easy to see the physical and emotional effects of bullying, but things get murky when we try to identify the profile of likely perpetrators and their victims.
Dolly’s angelic face plastered over the media, her sporting achievements and dazzling personality resemble the stereotype of what should have been a popular kid adored by her peers. Instead, she became a victim of bullying because social butterflies are just as much at risk as loners.
Bullies, too, can have angelic faces and seem smart, sweet and virtuous. It’s only when tragedy strikes that they realise that they were the villains all along. And as they come to grips with their “crime”, the tide of social media turns against them.
And just like you can’t predict who’ll be a bully or bullied, you can’t predict their environment. Bullying is just as likely to take place in the bush as it is in the city, in a posh boarding school as in a rough area in the backwoods.
What can we do to deal with a situation that has no logic? Wearing blue today is great to raise awareness, but a change of attitude is more important than a change of wardrobe.
Building self-awareness is a good start. In 2017, Life Education NSW held programs in 6 schools around our area, including in Inverell, Delungra and Gum Flat. These were attended by 475 students who discussed issues such as nutrition, physical activity, personal safety, positive relationships and drugs among other topics that don’t seem to be directly related to bullying because a holistic approach needs to be taken.
According to Life Education NSW CEO Kellie Sloane: “The more we have programs like these, the more you will see change. Parents and schools can’t do it on their own. Bullying is a whole community issue, which won’t change overnight. Life Education supports schools by providing programs which give children strategies to deal with issues - such as bullying - now and into the future.” Here is a link to that discusses the program effectiveness: https://www.lifeeducation.org.au/our-program/results
For help, call the Lifeline helpline on 13 11 14