September 5th, 2018: Yesterday Harry Styles’ mom Mrs. Anne Twist tweeted in support of the @antibullyingpro #Back2School campaign. She posted a tweet with a picture of her younger self in a school uniform and said that her “#Back2School advice is to speak to someone if you’re struggling in any form.” Mrs. Twist supported this campaign last year and in 2016 too.
This anti-bullying campaign was launched by @antibullyingpro in 2016 following the suicide on April 27th, 2016, of Lucy Alexander’s son Felix. Felix at the time of his passing was only 17 years old and had been enduring bullying for the last 10 years of his life. Following Felix’s passing Lucy vowed that she was going to do everything in her power to prevent other tragedies like this to happen again.
To help with bullying prevention, Lucy wants to have an anti-bullying ambassador in every single school in the UK. Bullying in general and in particular in school, where children spend up to 11,000 hours each year, has indeed a huge impact on the life of a child or teenager. The effects are long-term and often protract even into adulthood. Children that are bullied often suffer from low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. By training children on what to do if they are the target of bullying or if they witness bullying, bullying can be significantly reduced.
Below is Lucy Alexander talking about Felix (shared from the #Back2School AntiBullyingPro website)
On its website, #Back2School has several testimonies from celebrities describing their experience with bullying in school when they were growing up and the impact that bullying had on their lives. You can watch the videos at this link.
To participate in the #Back2School campaign, which takes place in September when children are due to start school, AntiBullyingPro is asking to post on social media a picture of yourself during your school years and to post an advice to children that may be anxious about starting a new school or that may be afraid of being target of bullying. AntiBullyingPro is also asking for donations that can be made by text to support the training of ambassadors. A list of advice to school children and parents is also available on their website.
AntiBullyingPro is an anti-bullying effort launched by the Diana Award in 2011. The Diana Award was established in 1999 by the British Government, following the passing of Princess Diana, with the goal of keeping Diana’s legacy alive. In particular, the Diana Award works in the belief that young people have the power to change the world, a belief that Princess Diana shared. The Diana Award works to identify and elevate the voices of those young people that go beyond what is expected to help and support their local communities.
Consider sharing a picture and an advice to support school children who may face bullying.
To learn more about the anti-bullying efforts of AntiBullyingPro visit their site here. More information about the Diana Award, which became a registered charity in 2006, is available here. Read also our article on AntiBullyingPro #StandUpToBullying campaign here.
A Charitable Direction 