Why would we want to empower ourselves to inspire change in schools? Because school bullying is now a global epidemic. Every day there are news stories of bullying in schools; sadly too many of these stories are senseless tragedies. Every time I hear of a severely bullied child who has taken their own life because of longterm bullying, my heart breaks a little more. With the right education and support in place in schools, I believe bullying could be dealt with very quickly and both aggressors and targets be supported in moving forward in their lives positively. Longterm bullying should not exist or be enabled in our society.
Bullying impacts children's self esteem, their education and their relationships. In severe cases, some children are so down trodden by their aggressors and feel so unprotected by their peers and educators that they take their own lives in order to escape the social isolation and emotional pain that bullying causes. When they are told they are worthless and nobody likes them enough times, they begin to believe it, especially when bystanders and educators do just that 'stand by'. Never is peer rejection more hard hitting and painful than in the formative and adolescent years.
As parents we often feel helpless to support our children when they experience bullying or have more serious relationship issues in school. Many of us have approached teachers, mentors, school personnel, boards of governors and LEA's in order to bring about change for our children, only to have the bullying minimised or denied and the blame turned around on us being labelled as over-protective and interfering. Our children too are labelled as sensitive and lacking in resilience.
This blog is a place for parents of bullied children to share experiences, information and resources relating to their child's bullying experiences and anti-bullying measures which could help inspire change in schools. In order to inspire change, we first need to validate each other and use our combined voices for the greater good of our own children and the children of others.
It is my intention to do whatever I can to raise awareness of anti-bullying and bring about change in schools and education authorities in my own community and beyond. As I build more content and resources here, in the near future I hope to convert this blog into a website support forum with the same name.
My best wishes to everyone and I hope whatever bullying nightmare you and your child or children have faced that you can find support and solutions to change your situation and build a brighter future for your family. Clarity
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