Anti-Bullying Week 2011
Date: 5 Jun 2011
Anti-Bullying Week 2011
Anti-Bullying Week 2011 will be held from 14th-18th November 2011, with the slogan 'Stop and think - words can hurt'. This year's campaign is focused on children and young people's day to day communication - with a focus on tackling verbal bullying. Young people at the ABA Youth Summit 2010 raised concerns about the negative use of language in schools and the wider community - expressions like 'you're so gay' and words like 'sket' and 'slag'. They saw this as a key indicator of bullying or a hostile environment.
We know that derogatory language - words and expressions that are homophobic, racist, sexist or disabilist, that seek to demean particular groups and individuals are far to common in our schools, colleges and communities.
Through this year's theme the aim is to:
- challenge the casual use of derogatory language in our schools, colleges and communities
- raise awareness of the consequences of using demeaning and harassing language through technology
- encourage schools, colleges and other settings to create language charters that makes it clear what is and isn't acceptable
- give children and young people the tools to challenge others when they use derogatory language, to find new ways of expressing how they feel if they are angry or upset, and to make a conscious effort to speak positively and to compliment others
- encourage adults to consider how they model the use of language with children and young people (this includes all practitioners working with children and young people but also celebrities and people in positions of power).
The Anti-Bullying Alliance will produce a downloadable resource pack reflecting this year's theme, which will be available later on in the year.
