Getting active in your school
"Teachers can't do anything about bullying unless they see it, but unfortunately people bully others when teachers are not around so they don't get caught. I think that if there are enough people around who are willing to stand up for the person who is getting bullied then we could stop it."
Just because bullying and harassment have always happened in your school doesn't mean that things cannot change. You can change your school by getting active.
Being active helps build connections between people – and works toward creating the school you want.
Here are a few ideas to help you get active in your school.
Talk about the type of school you want.
Talk about your concerns to anyone who is willing to listen. Tell them what needs to change to make your school a place for every-one to feel safe and respected.
If you think you need skills to get involved, ask for help.
Talk to teachers or other people who can help. Tell them about how you want to stop bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence. Ask for their help. Start a project to investigate the issues further.
Find out how and who makes decisions in your school.
Find out who belongs to the Student Representative Council, peer mediators group, the Parents and Citizens Association.
Meet with these groups to tell them your concerns. Explain that you want to take action against bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence.
Find out what the issues are.
Survey or interview people to find out what sorts of things are making other students feel safe or unsafe. Use this information to make suggestions for change.
Put on your critical eyes and look at the deeper issues.
What are the deeper issues?
Look deeper at what people have said. What do girls say? What do boys do?
What are the issues for different groups of people?
Identify areas in the school that people think are unsafe.
Look deeper at the groups who 'miss out' or 'cop it' the most. Ask yourself and others why this happens.
Let people know what the issues are.
Write letters and meet with the principal, Parents and Citizens, Student Representative Council and other classes and year levels. Tell them about the issues uncovered in the research and about any changes that were suggested.
Create posters and leaflets to advertise the change that is needed.
Write letters to the local newspaper or your local member of parliament telling them what is happening in schools today – and most importantly that students in your school are doing something about it.
Participate in groups and committees.
Call a special meeting or use class meetings or Student Representative Council meetings to discuss the issues and the changes.
Invite different groups in the school.
Make decisions at the meetings about the next steps and who wants to be involved.
Email this website address to your friends and talk about it in class.
Hey, this is the easy one!
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