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We are here to help
Do you need help to end bullying? If you are being bullied or are a bully and want to stop, you can get help from the Friends Against Bullying team. Just call 0116 222 9977 and ask to speak to a FAB worker. Email: liz@diversityhub.org.uk or margaret@diversityhub.org.uk We will be able to give you advice on what to do and who you should talk to. We may be able to work with your school and help them build an anti-bullying team and we may be able to work with your parents, family and friends to help them support you and help you deal with bullying. There are lots of things you can do to help yourself and one of the most important is knowing that you are not alone and help is available. |
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FRIENDS AGAINST BULLYING (FAB) FAB is A Peer-led Education Project to Reduce Bullying and Prejudice We know that life can be difficult and being bullied can make it worse. We have our Friends Against Bullying Project to help to give you the tools you need to deal with bullying. We have the project because a survey we did, and our expereince showed us, that in a random sample of young people in 6 different schools across the city (random sample of 20% students across all age groups) in 1999 found that overall, 35% of young people had experienced bullying. Sadly this hasn't got much better. In 2005 the newly appointed Children's Commissioner, Al Aynsley-Green, said that without exception, all the young people he had spoken to had experience of bullying. We know that most young people want to do something to stop bullying, but that many do not know what would be useful to say or do and so they do nothing. Of those who do try to help and stop the bullying it can sometimes go wrong and make things worse. Learning some really good FAB skills helps everyone get better at stopping bullying. FAB teaches young people to: Respect and appreciate the different identities each person holdsFeel good about who we are and where we (and our families) are from Understand how stereotyping and name calling results in different groups being mistreated or bullied Recognise how past mistreatment and hurt results in attacks on others and take responsibility for challenging their own prejudices and behaviour Develop effective skills in intervening when there is bullying, prejudice or mistreatment, in a way that perpetrators are assisted to recognise the reasons for their behaviour and to make positive changes to this Take leadership in educating others and being effective allies and supporters for each other. We train young people in the skills they need so they can take leadership with other young people to end bullying in their school. We work with bullies and the bullied together, providing a powerful teaching environment that demonstrates how we all get hurt and how that hurt can so easily be passed on if we do not get a chance to heal from it. This is followed by the teaching of practical skills so that anyone can make an intervention when bullying is going on, whilst keeping it safe for themselves. The FAB approach is unique in that it offers schools and young people a raft of strategies that everyone can get involved in. Much bullying takes place outside the school gates, on the way to and from school, and that which is located within schools is often hidden from staff. Whilst essential, it is not enough for only adults to have good intervention skills because they are so often not around when bullying takes place anyway. Rather than encourage young people and children to be reliant on an adult to intervene, it is more respectful of young people and children to train them in the skills and confidence to be empowered to be able to intervene on their own and others behalf. Our training programme teaches all the steps required to make effective interventions to stop bullying in its tracks and to deliver peer training programmes within the school setting. As they develop and utilise their skills children and young people realise they can also utilise their skills beyond the school community and many become engaged in working to build community cohesion. FAB teams foster preventative action on bullying and prejudice, enabling young people to build bridges between groups and individuals divided by their differences. The foundation of our work with young people is based on the 5 principles outlined in Every Child Matters by being mentally and emotionally healthy, staying safe from bullying and discrimination, enjoying and achieving personal and social development, making a positive contribution through developing postivite relationships and choosing not to bully and discriminate, and economic well-being through the development of life skills, confidence and a positive contribution to their CVs. We help schools/colleges to develop a systematic plan of action that creates cultural change so there is no space for bullying to take a hold and fosters healthy intergroup relations among all members of the school/college community, whether students, teaching or other staff. To set up a FAB group in your school the project workers can be contacted on 0116-222-9978 or via email at margaret@diversityhub.org.uk To see a FAB project at work, visit Sir Jonathan Norths website www.sjncc.leics.sch.uk where the young people have put together their own exciting and vibrant web page. To learn more about the Leicester Against Bullying (LAB) project - a peer led project for young people not in mainstream education employment or training please email liz@diversityhub.org.uk. |