Teenager Targets Bullying
A Port Talbot teenager who was bullied when he started secondary school is now providing support and advice for other young people, thanks to an innovative anti-bullying project.
Jamie Stevenson, a year 11 student at Glan Afan Comprehensive School, found friendship and key listening and problem solving skills as part of his school’s Bullies Out Peer Mentoring Programme, which encourages older students to support younger students who are experiencing bullying.
Jamie now volunteers to help other children who are being bullied or are facing a difficult time at school.
The highly successful programme is being highlighted by the Welsh Assembly Government as part of this week’s Anti-Bullying Week, in order to help young people across Wales recognise and stop bullying, and to support those who are being bullied.
Latest figures from the Welsh Assembly Government indicate that around 30% of 10-12 year olds had been bullied in some way over a two month sampling period, while 15% of 14-15 year olds say they have been bullied over the same period.
Despite this, there is some evidence the level of bullying has declined in Wales since 2005/06 which may in part be due to some of the programmes that run within schools and are encouraged by the Assembly Government.
Jamie, 15, is one of 30 peer mentors who are trained to listen to problems, resolve conflicts, log incidents and identify cases that need adult intervention. Students who have concerns, problems or wish to report incidents are encouraged to approach a peer mentor. All problems are logged in a book and reviewed daily by a teacher.
Jamie is now the head boy and uses his experience to help others. “When I started secondary school I was bullied by a few of the older students," he says. "It was scary but I felt uncomfortable speaking to an adult, so I went to one of the peer mentors.
"Being able to talk to someone who knew what it was like and who could relate to my experience really helped. Eventually the bullying stopped and I became happier at school and more confident.
“The help I had from the peer mentors inspired me to volunteer to be a mentor. Every day I have the opportunity to help people who are having trouble at school. Knowing that I’m contributing to someone else’s life in a positive way is a really good feeling.
"I hope that the other students know I’m there for them, just like a mentor was there for me when I was feeling down.”
Andrew Owen, Deputy Head Teacher at Glan Afan Comprehensive, has seen the benefits of the programme: “Not all students are comfortable approaching a teacher when they have a problem and the mentoring programme enables them to speak with a trained peer.
"Some problems such as being nervous about starting at a larger school, worrying about forgetting a piece of homework or making a new groups of friends can be resolved by the mentors, while larger problems are often escalated to teachers who can then intervene in a way that is sensitive to all members involved.
“The programme has been a real success at our school and we’ll continue to use it to support our students and to spread the anti-bullying message.”
Education Minister Leighton Andrews said Anti-Bullying Week is a valuable opportunity for teachers, parents and students to discuss bullying issues and how to implement anti-bullying measures:
“Any form of bullying is unacceptable and we have to learn to deal with it as effectively as possible to avoid the potential long-term damage it can have on some young people.
"It’s important that education professionals have the right skills and tools to recognise when a child is being bullied so they can resolve the problem and put preventative measures in place.
"I hope Anti-Bullying Week will enable professionals, parents and students to share best practise and learn from each others’ experiences.”
3 Comments – Post a comment
scruffgirl
Commented 18 months ago - 21st November 2010 - 16:50pm
i think this is a very good idea and will help younger children in their move to secondary school knowing that there is someone there is there is ever an issue.Im currently in year 11 and have been trained as a metor myself but what happens when your the person getting bullied, for example say if i am getting bullied now, who should i turn too?
CLICryan
Commented 18 months ago - 22nd November 2010 - 10:54am
Hey scruffgirl,
Check out the links just above (below the article) for advice from another young person (The 411 On Bullying) and to visit the CLIC Bullying Info Page.
For direct advice on who to turn to if you are getting bullied, talk to Meic. It is a free and confidential service for young people. They are open 12-8pm every day:
Call: 080880 23456
Text: 84001
Email: help@meiccymru.org
Instant message: www.meiccymru.org
I shall also ask them to respond to your query here today.
Meic
Commented 18 months ago - 26th November 2010 - 12:36pm
Hello.
If you are finding yourself experiencing any form of bullying, then you could consider the following options:
* Keeping a written log of events, of any situations of where you feel that you have been bullied in any shape or form. This will help you when and if you decide that you wish to report the bullying.
* Talking to peers/friends. You could possibly use the Peer Mentoring Scheme in your school.
* Speaking to a trusted adult, such as a teacher or a parent.
* Contacting Child Line on: 0800 1111 or visiting the website on: www.childline.org.uk or sending an instant message.
* Contacting Meic, and requesting to speak with an Advocate, who can explore your situation and help you get your voice heard. This could involve Meic helping you find someone who could represent and support you during a meeting with a teacher.
As well as the above tips, here are some useful website links and organizations which you can consider:
* Bullies Out – they provide support, help and information to individuals, schools, youth and community settings affected by bullying (www.bulliesout.com)
* Youth to youth website – a confidential website run by young people (www.youth2youth.co.uk)
* Respect Wales – a new anti-bullying website (www.respectwales.org.uk)
I hope that you find the above information useful.
All the best.
From the Meic Team