This year the theme for anti-bullying week is Choose Respect. The focus is on empowering children and young people to not resort to bullying, even when they disagree, and for adults to be reminded of their vital role to lead by example.
During the week, children and young people will be encouraged to start a national conversation about how to handle disagreements and differences of opinion without resorting to bullying. The idea is to champion kindness, promoting the idea that being kind is a mark or strength and not a sign of weakness.
The human-animal bond can have a hugely powerful effect when it comes to building positive relationships. Practitioners and their dogs create a safe space for the children and young people to open up and talk about their feelings. Dogs are by their very nature non-judgemental which enables the child to explore their true feelings, whether around them being bullied or being a bully themselves.
During anti bullying week, practitioners will be working with the children and young people using a range of books, games and activities to explore positive relationships and being kind, promoting and modelling ways to resolve conflict without resorting to bullying. You might even see practitioners and their dogs wearing odd socks during the week! Odd socks day falls in anti-bullying week as we celebrate uniqueness and stand up to bullying and discrimination.
Statistics suggest that 1 in 5 children will experience bullying during their school life and that children with special needs or a disability are at least twice as likely to be the victim of bullying. Our aim this week is for everyone to imagine a world where respect and kindness thrive and work towards making this dream a reality.