“Put your shoulders back”

I was out walking with my partner recently when he said this to me.

“They are back, aren’t they?”

No, it turned out my shoulders weren’t back, not even close. I pulled them back and couldn’t believe the difference. It felt like a completely unnatural way to hold my body.

“It doesn’t look unnatural, it looks good.”

Last year, Ditch the Label revealed that 1.5 million children in the UK will experience bullying with half of them never telling anybody through fear, embarrassment or a lack of faith from support systems.

I have Alopecia Totalis, an autoimmune condition which caused my hair to fall out at the age of one. I faced heavy bullying and difficult experiences at school for being different. Any day where I could escape the playground without someone attempting to pull my wig off, I considered a massive achievement.

I was fortunate to have a wonderful family who put their heart and soul into making sure that I was safe, and that my experience at school was as positive as possible.

The truth is, bullying stretches way past just school.

Recent studies show that 64% of adults still experience the effects of bullying, with many experiencing social anxiety and low self-esteem into their middle age.

Many parents and carers report the education system as placing blame on the victim, and coming up with tactics to “help them fit in so they won’t be a target.”

This is by no means a form of solution for bullying.

So what is?

A whole school Anti-Bullying approach, frequently visited throughout the year.

At OpenView Education, we believe in celebrating difference. Our Anti-Bullying workshops for primary schools are drama-based, interactive and exciting for the students.

Our Anti-Bullying workshops for primary school students are designed to empower them to become an Upstander – someone who knows what to do when they are faced with a bullying situation. We celebrate everyone, and talk about why it’s great to have a friend who is different from you.

Our Anti-Bullying workshops include role-play, so the students stand up and practice being a good friend, and what to do if they are ever faced with a bullying situation. By practicing these skills in the workshop, they will then be able to take them out into the world and put them into practice in the world.

Let’s celebrate difference. Let’s make a change. Let’s decrease that 64% of adults that experience the effects of bullying into their middle age, and the 1.5 million students in the UK that will experience bullying.

Everyone has a responsibility. Let’s stop trying to make people “fit in”, let’s tackle the issue with the seriousness it deserves.

Book an Anti-Bullying workshop now and make a change for the better.

Find out more here.

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