At Belfast Boys' Model School we are committed to provide a safe and supportive environment where pupils are free from threat, coercion and intimidation, where their welfare is paramount and where a systematic pastoral network ensures their security and well being.
What are Anti-Bullying Ambassadors?
Our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors are pupils who have been trained to work proactively to support victims of bullying, raise awareness of bullying and also to work preventatively to stamp out bullying in Belfast Boys’ Model School. They Anti-Bullying Ambassadors have a lunchtime drop in room 128, an email account and a Facebook page. They wear Anti-Bullying Ambassador hoodies and are clearly identifiable in the corridors, playgrounds and on school buses. If you think you are being bullied or you have information about a person being bullied, please come and see us.
What is Bullying?
Persistent behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally. Isolated incidents of hurtful behaviour, teasing or arguments between individuals would not be seen as bullying.
What Types of Bullying Exist?
Bullying generally takes on one of three forms: physical, verbal, indirect:
- Physical: hitting, kicking, punching, stealing or hiding belongings, pulling hair, sexual assault.
- Verbal: name-calling, teasing, taunts, threatening language, nasty comments, offensive and/or sexual remarks.
- Indirect: cyber-bullying, dirty looks, excluding from groups, graffiti, malicious gossip, starting or spreading rumours, intimidation.
Where can Bullying happen?
Bullying can happen anywhere: at school, in the community and even in the home. Bullying is NOT part of growing up and can have a negative effect on the physical and emotional well-being of all involved.
Bullying behaviour creates an atmosphere of fear and many people are too afraid to do anything if they see someone being bullied.
What Bullies Do
- No-one should ever feel ashamed about being bullied. It is important to remember it is NOT your fault.
- Bullying is very difficult to deal with by yourself
- Bullies can make people feel alone and frightened
- You may even feel telling someone will make the situation worse
- Bullies thrive on secrecy and silence, this is exactly what a bully wants you to believe.
It is not easy to speak about bullying and our recent research showed that many young people would use an online forum. Anti BullyingMentors are available from 5pm-8pm daily. Visit our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors Facebook page or contact us through our email.
No problem is too big or too small. The forum is open daily and we have mentors of all ages. Our mentors will support you as much as they can, but it’s important to remember that for the bullying to be stopped, it is vital you speak to someone you can trust offline.
Are you Bullying someone?
Anyone can be a bully, but the important thing to remember is ‘we all have a choice’.
If you make the decision to call someone names, hurt them physically, take their friends away or direct any other type of bullying behaviour towards them, it may feel funny and make you feel ‘big’ amongst your friends, but the consequences of those actions are far deeper than you could imagine.
It’s never too late to change - there’s a better person inside everyone. Be someone that you can be proud of by being a good citizen. Be a good friend and help build someone up rather than try to pull them down.
Bystanders Look Out
Bystanders play an important role in helping to stop bullying. If you see bullying happening, don’t participate. Please speak up and tell someone. Help put a stop to the problem so it does not grow into something bigger.
Types of Bystanders
These bystanders either instigate the bullying by prodding the bully to begin, or encourage the bullying by laughing, cheering, or making comments that encourage the bully to go on. They may even join in the bullying event or, passively accept bullying by watching and doing nothing as they provide an audience to the bullying. This is exactly what the bully craves, attention.
Bystanders can easily prevent or stop bullying by either intervening directly and defending the victim or taking the victim away from the scene of the bullying, like asking a cyberbullying victim to step away of the conversation or log off. They can also get help by rallying support from peers or reporting the incident to the authorities whether at school or online.
The following websites offer advice and guidance about bullying and how to beat it.