YMCA Manchester Anti-Bullying Week 2020 Blog Post

As part of my work with YMCA Manchester during our PR practice days I also wrote this blog post for Anti-Bullying Week 2020 to give out crucial information about bullying and the different ways and environemtns it can occur.

Please have a read:

BLOG: Anti-Bullying Week and Our Guide on bullying

Hello everyone,

We hope you guys are all staying safe during this second national lockdown. This week is Anti-Bullying Week. We wanted to create this blog post to talk about Anti-Bullying Week and what we are doing here at YMCA Manchester to raise awareness, but also educate you guys on bullying and what to do if you or someone you know is being bullied. We feel this information is especially important during these uncertain times we are living in and the UK’s second national lockdown.

What is Anti-Bullying week?

Anti-Bullying Week is an annual event in the UK in November. This year Anti-Bullying Week is being held from Monday 16th November 2020- Friday 20th November 2020.

Why does Anti-Bullying Week happen?

The aim of Anti-Bullying Week is to raise awareness of bullying of children and young people and to provide information and recourses on how to deal with and prevent bullying at school, online or elsewhere. Also, to teach children, young people, parents, carers and teachers that they all have a responsibility to stop bullying.

Why is Anti- Bullying Week important to us here at YMCA Manchester?

Here at YMCA Manchester we are the oldest and largest youth charity in the world and we help support 228,00 young people every year in England and Wales. We aim to help communities become safe environments where young people feel they truly belong and are able to thrive in. Anti-Bullying Week is important to us because it raises awareness to a huge issue we deal with every day and helps us achieve our long-term goals in supporting young people.

What YMCA Manchester are doing for Anti-Bullying Week 2020?

• Odd Socks day (Monday 16th September) - we plan to flood our social media with pictures of odd socks this Monday!

• #Postpositive campaign – this week we will be spreading positivity on our social media as a gentle reminder to young people that social media isn’t always a negative environment where we drag others and ourselves down. We are encouraging young people to use social media in a positive way by using our post positive hashtag and tagging us in the post. This could be a nice comment on someone’s picture or a positive quote posted on their Instagram story to encourage others to #postpositive.

• Top Tips on how to stay safe online – we are giving young people our best tips on how to stay safe online and how to deal with cyberbullies. Keep your eyes out.

So, let’s talk about bullying…

What is bullying?

To most bullying is a repeated behaviour or action by either an individual or group that is intended to hurt someone else physically, emotionally or mentally. Not all bullying incidents are the same. It is important that everyone is aware of the different types of bullying so you are equipped if you personally encounter them or you know someone who has so you can provide your help and support for them.

Types of Bullying

Physical Bullying

Physical bullying usually includes hitting, kicking, pinching, pushing, spitting, slapping, tripping and stealing or damaging personal property. These things are not classed as physical bullying unless they happen repeatedly and the bully intends to cause harm to the victim.

Verbal Bullying

Verbal bullying is when an individual or group use verbal language such as insults to hurt or upset another individual or group. Examples of verbal bullying are: teasing, name calling, inappropriate comments and threatening remarks to cause harm.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to bully an individual or group, usually by sending threatening messages. Cyberbullying is now very common on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.

Advice for children and young people who are being bullied

1) Don’t react

Although you may feel upset and angry, like you want to fight back, this could make things a lot worse. If you give the bully a big reaction, they are more likely to continue to bully you as you are giving them the exact attention they want.

2) Tell someone who you can trust

It is really important you tell an adult you can trust that you are being bullied, even though this may seem daunting, bullying should not happen in any environment. It might be a good idea to tell your parent, carer or teacher exactly what has been happening and explain how you are feeling about it.

3) Keep a record of the bullying

By keeping a diary and recording the bullying incidents it can make it easier to explain to an adult and make them realise the severity of what is happening, and it can also give them the evidence they need to stop it as quickly as they can.

Advice for parents / carers whose child is being bullied

1) Listen

If your child tells you they are being bullied it is important you listen to what has been happening and try to put your feelings aside before you react. You must talk about your child’s feelings and take them into consideration before you take anything forward.

2) Reassure

Make sure you tell your child it is not their fault they are being bullied. A lot of children convince themselves it is their own fault and they deserve to be bullied.

3) Advice on how to respond

Explain to your child that bullies are looking for an upset or angry response from their victim. If you don’t give the bully much of a reaction it is likely they will eventually stop. It is helpful to practice how to react to the bully with your child so they are prepared for next time it happens and they feel more confident about the situation.

Bullying/harassment in the workplace

Bullying can also happen with adults in the workplace, bullying and harassment is behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated. Examples of bullying within the work place are spreading rumours, regularly undermining someone, denying someone a fair chance of training or promotion and unfair treatment. These examples can happen face-to-face, by email, by phone or by letter. Bullying is not against the law but harassment is. Harassment is unwanted behaviour related to age, sex, disability, gender, marriage, pregnancy, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

Gaslighting

Bullying can be subtle. Gaslighting is a common example of subtle bullying, especially in work environments, it is a type of manipulation with intent to control an individual or situation. People who are victims of gaslighting can find themselves questioning their own sanity and second guessing their every decision - this is how they become dependent on the abuser.

Advice for employees who feel they are being bullied / harassed at work

Within the workplace, it is always a good idea to see if you can deal with the problem informally first. If you cannot do this, employees should talk to their manager, HR department or trade union representative. If this does not work, employees can then make a formal complaint through their employer’s grievance procedure.

Here at YMCA Manchester our goal this week is to raise awareness of bullying not only in schools but in all kinds of environments people should feel safe in and educate people on how to deal with bullies. We want everyone to know that they are not alone and bullying can be dealt with. Follow our social media to check out what we get up to and help us raise awareness.

Instagram: @ymcamanchester

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