A little bit late for Anti Bullying Week 2019. The reason? A lot of reading people’s thoughts and seeing the good that groups are doing, all good stuff. Also, kind of left it late intentionally, to help keep the momentum up now that the week has ended. The problems still exist.
When starting this journey it was always the intention to tackle the theme of bullying. Anti Bullying Week saw a lot of people and organisations highlighting the affects of bullying and I believe this is a good thing. Sometimes when issues are given focus in a ‘special week’ the message can get lost, so it is important to remember why these topics are given attention. It is also important to not stop talking about it now that ‘Anti Bullying Week 2019’ has passed.
Celebrating being Unique
This is the main idea behind Oddsockloc. We are all unique, all individual and this should be something to celebrate. Unfortunately this is not the case for many people, as differences in look or personality can often be seen as justification for bullying. There is no justification. Ever. We should not feel ashamed or feel fear about who we are. It has been encouraging to see that there are so many people that stand together on this issue.
Hope
To all those that are on the receiving end of bullying, there is hope. There are people who care; not just for 1 week but all year round. There are people who will stand with you.
Bullying and Autism
@AnnaKennedy1 highlights the issues Autistic people may face when it comes to bullying. The “Give Us A Break” campaign challenges schools to look at their environment and to ensure they have created one where every child can feel safe. Please have a look at their site with the link below for more information and resources on this campaign and how you can get involved. I will leave it there for now but will be revisiting these topics again, and will feature more links to other organisations I feel may be of benefit to people.
Still lots for me to learn.
Stay safe
Iain